How long does it take to recover from deep vein thrombosis?

Deep vein thrombosis is a relatively serious disease and is also quite common in clinical practice. Patients often experience limb swelling and pain, and severe cases may pose a serious threat to life safety. At this time, in addition to good treatment, regular maintenance should also be emphasized. There are many treatment methods, the most common of which are physical therapy and drug therapy. Let us learn about this aspect below.

Treatment of Deep Vein Thrombosis

① Venous valve repair: Through surgery, the relaxed free edge of the valve is shortened so that it can close. ② Annular stenosis of the femoral vein valve: Under normal circumstances, the width of the valve sinus is larger than the width of the vein in the non-valve sinus area. Therefore, sutures, tissue pieces or artificial fabrics are used to wrap around the vein to reduce its diameter, restore the diameter ratio of the valve sinus and the vein, and the valve closing function is restored. ③Valved vein segment transplantation: A segment of vein with a normal valve (such as the brachial vein) is implanted proximal to the superficial femoral vein to prevent blood backflow. ④ Semitendinosus-biceps femoris tendon loop popliteal vein valve replacement: The principle of the operation is to utilize the contraction and relaxation of the semitendinosus-biceps femoris tendon loop to enable the popliteal vein to acquire valve-like function. Since deep venous valve insufficiency is accompanied by superficial varicose veins, high ligation of the great saphenous vein and varicose vein stripping are required at the same time. Patients with pigmentation or ulcers in the foot and boot area also need to undergo ligation of the communicating veins.

Physical methods of prevention Traditional physical methods of preventing deep vein thrombosis include early activity, raising limbs, wearing elastic stockings, etc. However, studies have found that the above methods have no preventive effect on deep vein thrombosis. Recently, the use of progressive pneumatic compression stockings has been initiated in neurosurgical patients, advocating early use, starting immediately after surgery and continuing until full independent activity. The use of this sock can increase venous return by 75% and reduce the incidence of deep vein thrombosis from 20% to 10%.

Drug prevention is generally not recommended, but small amounts of medication can be used to prevent thrombosis. Common medications include:

(1) Drugs that can prevent blood clot formation, such as aspirin, dipyridamole (persantin), etc., but the preventive effect is uncertain.

(2) Low-dose heparin: Its role in preventing thrombosis has been recognized, and it may work by inhibiting factor X and interrupting the intrinsic and extrinsic coagulation pathways. A heparin concentration of 0.05 to 0.033 iu/ml in serum can prevent the formation of thromboplastin, while a heparin concentration of 0.25 to 0.5 iu/ml can also destroy the already formed thromboplastin, but may increase the chance of bleeding.

(3) Low relative molecular mass heparin: longer half-life, reduced chance of bleeding, and higher bioavailability.

(4) Dextran 40: can reduce red blood cell aggregation. 100 ml can be injected intravenously before surgery, 400 ml during surgery, 500 ml on the evening after surgery, and another 500 ml on the second day after surgery. The main adverse reaction is allergic reaction. However, the use of dextran can aggravate intracranial hypertension and cerebral edema when brain lesions are accompanied by damage to the blood-brain barrier. Therefore, it should be used with caution in patients with craniocerebral trauma and intracranial tumors.