Deep Venous Thrombosis Risk Factors

Excerpt

The pathophysiology of venous thrombosis has been famously described by Rudolf Virchow, known as the triad of Virchow, which includes stasis, endothelial injury, and hypercoagulability. Venous thrombosis can be superficial venous thrombosis or deep venous thrombosis (DVT); the latter is the focus of this topic. While the most common origins are in the extremities, where the lower extremity is greater than the upper extremity, venous thrombotic events can occur in other vascular areas such as the mesentery, pelvis, cerebral, portal tract, etc. DVTs, on their own, can cause morbidity due to postthrombotic syndrome involving local tissue injury. The most concerning complication with high mortality is associated with pulmonary embolism secondary to venous thromboembolism (VTE).