Vein Treatments for Deep Vein Thrombosis on Long Island

A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot that forms in a deeper vein. These are the veins that pump blood back to the heart after delivering oxygen throughout the body via the arteries. Blood’s ability to clot is often a good thing. If you cut or scrape your skin, clotting helps prevent profuse bleeding. Bruising is another type of useful clotting that limits internal bleeding. Clotting that occurs in superficial veins is often harmless. But when a clot develops in a deep vein, it can cause problems. DVTs can restrict blood flow. They might also build pressure in the vein, which can produce spider and varicose veins.

In more serious cases, a deep vein thrombosis can break loose and travel through the bloodstream. If it arrives at the lungs, it can block a vital pulmonary artery. That’s called a pulmonary embolism, and it’s life threatening. While this outcome is rare, patients can’t predict how their deep vein thrombosis will grow or whether it will move. So, it’s imperative to book an appointment at a Long Island vein center as soon as you suspect a DVT.

Compression stockings are not safe or effective for every blood clot, so do not try them without a vein doctor’s approval. Depending on the location of the clot, applying pressure could encourage it to move in a dangerous direction. Compression therapy requires a doctor’s appointment to choose the right size. Inadequate and excessive pressure can both be problematic. But if a qualified vein specialist recommends them, compression stockings can resolve certain DVTs.

Blood thinners and thrombolytics (clot busters) are other options that require a vein doctor’s expertise. Thinning the blood can help break up a clot. But that’s only safe if the clot isn’t positioned to arrive in a detrimental location. In addition, blood thinners and thrombolytics aren’t advised for people with certain medical conditions, so see a vein doctor to learn whether thinning your blood is advised. Our Harvard-trained vein experts can use Duplex Ultrasound tests to locate the clot and the connecting veins to determine the best course of action.

If compression stockings or blood thinners aren’t advised for your DVT, there are procedures to consider. Doctors can insert a filter in the vena cava (a major vein in the abdomen). This device will catch a clot if it breaks loose and begins to travel toward the lungs. In other cases, they can place a stent in the vein or stretch it to help the clot move through, depending on its location.

It’s important to note that certain spider and varicose vein treatments inject medications into veins. If you have a DVT, you need a trained vein doctor who can prevent that medicine from unintentionally loosening a clot. This is not a risk when treating superficial veins. But if a vein specialist needs to close a broken valve in a deeper vein, they must look for deep vein clots first. Then, they can choose the best procedure. For some patients, that means a thermal treatment like radiofrequency ablation is best. This technique uses ultrasound guidance to observe the vein as it is treated. For others, the doctor might need to resolve the clot before treating the vein damage. In rare cases, more invasive vein treatments including surgery are considered.

Spider veins and varicose veins can result from DVTs, but they aren’t the same thing. Vein damage in the superficial veins more commonly stems from valve failure in deep veins, rather than clots in deep veins. But patients can’t discern this by looking at their skin. DVTs, varicose veins, and spider veins have similar symptoms. They can each cause swelling and cramping in the legs. One key difference is that spider and varicose vein pain tends to improve with walking or moderate exercise, whereas DVTs often produce pain when walking.

Another difference is how they look. A varicose vein is a bulging, enlarged, twisted blood vessel. Spider veins often develop in small, spindly clusters that don’t protrude. A deep vein thrombosis can cause a raised, reddened, warm area, which is unique to a clot, as spider and varicose veins aren’t hot to the touch. Spider and varicose veins are blue, green, purple, or red lines, not vague reddened areas. Another key difference is that when a clot arrives at the lungs, it can produce emergency symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, and loss of consciousness. These are not symptoms of spider or varicose veins. Go to the emergency room if you feel this way.

It’s important to note that varicose veins and spider veins can produce debilitating discomfort, heavy bleeding, rust-colored hyperpigmentation on the calves, slow-healing venous ulcerations, and venous stasis dermatitis. So, don’t ignore vein damage, even if it isn’t caused by a DVT. The sooner you visit a vein center in Long Island, the better your outcome will be.

You should only visit the most renowned varicose and spider vein clinics in Long Island if you have a deep vein thrombosis. While many patients don’t encounter a life-threatening complication, there’s no way to predict how your blood clot will behave. Luckily, Long Island residents have two of the top vascular doctors in the United States to choose from. Dr. Thomas Arnold treats vascular issues at our Port Jefferson vein clinic near the WMAP Radio station. Dr. Zalekha Shair sees patients at our Jericho and West Islip vein clinics. Visit either of these exceptional physicians for expert vein care.