Venous stasis, or venostasis, is a condition of slow blood flow in the veins, usually of the legs.
Presentation
Complications Potential complications of venous stasis are:
Venous ulcers Blood clot formation in veins (venous thrombosis), that can occur in the deep veins of the legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT) or in the superficial veins Id reactions
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. Long periods of immobility that can be encountered from driving, flying, bed rest/hospitalization, or having an orthopedic cast. Recommendations by clinicians to reduce venous stasis and DVT/PE often encourage increasing walking, calf exercises, and intermittent pneumatic compression 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