Symptoms of DVT

Video Transcript

"Do you have an arm or a leg abnormally swollen and painful? That could be a symptom of having a DVT also known as a Deep Vein Thrombosis or blood clot in the vein. I'm Dr. Savage. I'm an osteopathic family practice physician in Tampa and I'm going to describe how Deep Vein Thrombosis happens and what signs to look for when experiencing this because this is a potentially life threatening situation. What happens usually is someone is inactive either on a long car drive or plane ride and is bedridden or is also predisposed to clotting such as having cancer or another type of blood disorder and blood will pool in that part of the vein which starts a small blood clot and that blood clot then in time increases in size and then blood in that extremity is having trouble actually making it back to the heart hence that is why the arm and the leg become swollen and then the tension building up causes the pressure. Classically when someone has a Deep Vein Thrombosis that area also is red and is hot. That doesn't have to happen. If you have any of these symptoms of having a DVT seek medical attention right away. I hope this has been helpful. I'm Dr. Savage and I wish you good health."