Venous stasis, or venostasis, is a condition of slow
blood
Blood is a body fluid in the circulatory system of humans and other vertebrates that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells, and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells.
Blood is com ...
flow in the
vein
Veins () are blood vessels in the circulatory system of humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are those of the pulmonary and feta ...
s, usually of the legs.
Presentation
Complications
Potential complications of venous stasis are:
*
Venous ulcer
Venous ulcer is defined by the American Venous Forum as "a full-thickness defect of skin, most frequently in the ankle region, that fails to heal spontaneously and is sustained by chronic venous disease, based on venous duplex ultrasound testing ...
s
*
Blood clot
A thrombus ( thrombi) is a solid or semisolid aggregate from constituents of the blood (platelets, fibrin, red blood cells, white blood cells) within the circulatory system during life. A blood clot is the final product of the blood coagulatio ...
formation in veins (
venous thrombosis
Venous thrombosis is the blockage of a vein caused by a thrombus (blood clot). A common form of venous thrombosis is deep vein thrombosis (DVT), when a blood clot forms in the deep veins. If a thrombus breaks off ( embolizes) and flows to the lu ...
), that can occur in the deep veins of the legs (
deep vein thrombosis
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thrombosis involving the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein, most commonly in the legs or pelvis. A minority of DVTs occur in the arms. Symptoms can include pain, swelling, redness, and enl ...
, DVT) or in the superficial veins
*
Id reaction
ID or its variants may refer to:
* Identity document, a document used to verify a person's identity
* Identifier, a symbol which uniquely identifies an object or record
People
* I. D. Ffraid (1814–1875), Welsh poet and Calvinistic Methodist mi ...
s
Causes
Causes of venous stasis include:
* Obesity
* Pregnancy
* Previous damage to leg
* Blood clot
* Smoking
* Swelling and inflammation of a vein close to the skin
*
Congestive heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to fill with and pump blood.
Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF typically pr ...
.
* Long periods of immobility that can be encountered from driving, flying, bed rest/hospitalization, or having an
orthopedic cast
An orthopedic cast, commonly referred to simply as a cast, is a form of medical treatment used to immobilize and support bones and soft tissues during the healing process after fractures, surgeries, or severe injuries. By restricting movement, ...
. Recommendations by clinicians to reduce venous stasis and
DVT/PE often encourage increasing walking, calf exercises, and
intermittent pneumatic compression Intermittent pneumatic compression is a therapeutic technique used in medical devices that include an air pump and inflatable auxiliary sleeves, gloves or boots in a system designed to improve venous circulation in the limbs of patients who have ede ...
when possible.
* Weakened Venous valves: these are crucial towards ensuring upward flow to the heart from the lower extremities. If weakened, they may fail to close properly which leads to backwards blood flow/blood pooling. This can lead to slower blood flow in the veins.
Ultrasonography-Doppler ultrasound
See also
*
Virchow's triad
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venous Stasis
Diseases of veins, lymphatic vessels and lymph nodes
Vascular surgery
Preventive medicine