NATT Stop the Clot - One Column CSS Template Deep Vein Thrombosis

What is Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE)?

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is blood clot that usually occurs in the leg, most often on one side, although it can happen in other parts of the body. DVT afflicts over 380,000 people per year in the United States. Click here to view our interactive map to see how many DVT incidents occur each year in your state. If the blood clot dislodges, it can travel to the lungs and cause a blockage known as a pulmonary embolism (PE) or lung clot. Lung clots affect over 530,000 people a year and 300,000, or almost 1 out of 3, are fatal. Click here to view a short animation showing the formation of a DVT. NBCA has created a stop light risk tool to help identify the risk factors associated with DVT and PE, click hear to view the blood clot risk tool. In cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), NBCA has produced an entire video series to educate the public on DVT and PE. Click here for the NBCA video series "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Blood Clots". Knowing the signs and symptoms of a DVT and PE can save your life, click here to review the signs and symptoms.


Acute DVT Right Leg	Acute DVT Left Leg	Acute DVT Left Leg, Post Thrombotic Syndrome Right Leg	Posthrombotic Pigmentation

Practical Steps to Minimize Risk for Deep Vein Thrombosis

Try to maintain ideal body weight for your height and gender
Stay active and try to get regular exercise.
Avoid prolonged periods of immobility. For example, on a long car trip, stop and walk around every few hours. On an airplane, drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration, walk the aisles, do calf raises and toe squeezes and avoid alcohol. Wearing elastic stockings with a moderate level of compression (15 to 20 mm Hg) may prevent DVT from developing on long flights.
Don’t smoke.
If you have other chronic medical conditions, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or congestive heart failure, work with your doctors to try to keep these problems under good control.
Talk to your doctors about the risk of thrombosis and the use of blood thinners or compression stockings for prevention of blood clots if you are pregnant, use birth control pills, are hospitalized or have surgery. This is especially important if you have a hereditary thrombophilia.