JOSEPH MEDICAL-MULTI SERVICE PROVIDER
Patient Information:
The risk factors for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) include:
• A history of DVT.
• Overweight or Obesity.
• Conditions or factors that make your blood thicker or more likely to clot than normal. Some inherited blood disorders will do this. Hormone therapy or birth control pills also increase the risk of clotting.
• Injury to a deep vein from surgery, a broken bone, or other trauma.
• Slow blood flow in a deep vein due to lack of movement. This may occur after surgery, if you're ill and in bed for a long time, or if you're traveling for a long time.
• Pregnancy and the first 6 weeks after giving birth.
• Recent or ongoing treatment for cancer.
• A central venous catheter. This is a tube placed in a vein to allow easy access to the bloodstream for medical treatment.
• Older age. Being older than 60 is a risk factor for DVT, although DVT can occur at any age.
• Smoking
Your risk for DVT increases if you have more than one of the risk factors listed above.
The signs and symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) might be related to DVT itself or pulmonary embolism (PE). See your doctor right away if you have signs or symptoms of either condition. Both DVT and PE can cause serious, possibly life-threatening problems if not treated. Only about half of the people who have DVT have signs and symptoms. These signs and symptoms occur in the leg affected by the deep vein clot.
• Swelling of the leg or along a vein in the leg
• Pain or tenderness in the leg, which you may feel only when standing or walking
• Increased warmth in the area of the leg that's swollen or painful
• Red or discolored skin on the leg
Signs and symptoms of Pulmonary Embolism include:
• Unexplained shortness of breath
• Pain with deep breathing
• Coughing up blood
Because DVT is a known complication following many types of surgery, doctors often recommend that surgery patients take measures to prevent DVT, including anticoagulant therapy, specialized exercises and mechanical prophylaxis or Sequential Compression Devices (SCD’s). Those who have major orthopedic surgery—such as total hip replacement, total knee replacement or hip fracture surgery—are at a high risk of DVT. After any one of those three surgeries, in the absence of prophylaxis, the risk of symptomatic DVT in the 35 days after surgery is elevated.
What is an SCD?
A Sequential Compression Device is a safe non-invasive therapy for the treatment of DVT. The SCD sleeve is wrapped around the calf muscle and provides a gentle compression or squeeze to promote the flow of blood back to your heart. The Sequential Compression keeps the blood moving and helps to prevent it from clotting. The SCD mimics the contraction of the calf during walking. Units are to be used while resting or in bed.
Joseph Medical will provide SCD’s for the post-operative prevention of DVT. We offer SCD’s for use in the ambulatory surgery center setting, for patients to take home during the recovery phase, in a SNF for transition care from hospital to home. The use of the SCD for the prevention of DVT is covered by most insurances. Joseph Medical will bill the insurance for these services if a benefit is available. We work with patients on cost effective ways to get this important preventative measure when no insurance benefit is available.
