What to do if the elderly have venous thrombosis after fracture

The elderly have poor mobility and often suffer from osteoporosis. If they are not careful in their daily lives, they may suffer fractures, which can easily lead to symptoms of venous thrombosis, causing greater harm to the health of the elderly. When venous thrombosis occurs, thrombolytic treatment should be carried out in time. In addition to certain drug treatments, dietary adjustments should be strengthened and preventive health care should be done well.

What to do if the elderly have venous thrombosis after fracture

Due to postoperative immobilization, supine position, and postoperative bed traction immobilization after anesthesia, patients with lower limb fractures have peripheral veins dilated, lower limb muscles in a relaxed state, reduced muscle pump action, and slow blood flow. Traumatic surgery and orthopedic traction can easily damage blood vessels, causing the blood to be in a hypercoagulable state, which can easily lead to the formation of deep vein thrombosis. The wall attachment of venous thrombus is the most unstable within 1 to 2 weeks and is very easy to fall off.

Within 1 to 2 weeks of thrombosis and during thrombolytic therapy, the thrombus may break off and flow back into important organs such as the lungs, heart, and brain, causing embolism in these organs, which is often fatal and extremely difficult to treat. Therefore, the key to deep vein thrombosis after lower limb fracture in the elderly is prevention.

For patients with a tendency to deep vein thrombosis who require surgery, a small dose of heparin 5000u can be injected subcutaneously 2 hours before surgery. Administer twice a day after surgery for 5 to 7 days; or administer 500 ml of low-molecular-weight dextran intravenously before and after surgery, and then once every other day, for a total of 3 times. Oral dipyridamole or aspirin can also be used for prevention.

Precautions

In addition to drug prevention measures, other measures can also be taken to avoid deep vein thrombosis: avoiding the infusion of solutions that are irritating to the vein wall and removing the venous catheter early, which can play a certain role in preventing venous thrombosis. During surgery, the tissues surrounding the vein should be handled gently to avoid damage to the vein wall. Avoid placing pillows under your calves or groins after surgery to avoid affecting calf venous return. For those who are bedridden for a long time, they should be encouraged to perform active or passive ankle joint movements in bed, wear long elastic stockings or use inflatable boots for intermittent compression and gastrocnemius electrical stimulation; those who can get up after surgery should get out of bed and move around as early as possible to stimulate calf muscle activity and increase venous return in the lower limbs. The above introduces in detail the prevention methods of venous thrombosis. The elderly can prevent venous thrombosis through medication or other measures. Understanding these methods can help people stay away from the dangers of venous thrombosis.