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Precautions Against Deep Vein Thrombosis
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Question
My husband and I are traveling to see our children (and grandchildren!) in Australia this summer, and the flight is a very long one. I keep hearing about the increased risk of deep vein thrombosis on these long flights, and I wondered if there was anything to this, and if so is there anything precautions we can take?
Answer
Deep Vein
Thrombosis, or DVT, is the formation of a blood clot (thrombosis)
within a deep vein, commonly in the thigh or calf. The blood clot can
either partially or completely block the flow of blood in the vein.
In
answer to your question, while there is increasing evidence that the
prolonged periods of immobility associated with air-travel may
contribute to DVT, that same evidence puts your chances of developing
DVT during air-travel at one in several million.
So while I
wouldn’t spoil your trip with unnecessary worrying, there are some
simple steps you can take to be safe when you fly:
- Don’t sit still, stand up and walk around in the aisle at least hourly
- Exercise your calf muscles by going up on tiptoes several times while standing
- Drink adequate fluids - at least 1 liter per 5 hours of flight
- Avoid alcohol as it increases the stickiness of platelets and promotes fluid loss
- Avoid crossing legs or prolonged awkward hip or knee positions whenever seated
- Wear loose fitting clothing when traveling
Beyond
this, some experts suggest taking a single low-dose aspirin before you
fly, as it thins the blood, and they may recommend wearing therapeutic
compression stockings, although I would do neither until I had
consulted with my physician. In any case, it might be a good idea to
discuss your personal and family medical history with your physician
before you go to determine whether you might have any predisposition to
DVT.