DVT: A Risk To Inactive & Pregnant Women - Essay Sample

Introduction

Deep vein thrombosis is a fatal medical condition, which affects human beings via the formation of blood clots (Khan et al., 2017). The clot, which forms in the blood vessels in the legs, will start to travel throughout the body and may lead to breathing complications, and even demise. Deep vein thrombosis affects people who are inactive, and pregnant women. Pregnant women are highly susceptible to this condition, due to the hormonal changes in a woman’s body (Khan et al., 2017).

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As a woman's body is going through changes due to pregnancy, the body is at a high risk of developing deep vein thrombosis. It is because the blood increases its clotting capability as a result of the new creature being formed. The reason for this is that it is expected that there would be blood loss during birth, and thus the body's way of counteracting this is by clotting. As a result, a blood clot may form in the leg.

Therefore this paper is going to analyze the medical condition, deep vein thrombosis in pregnant women (Khan et al., 2017). It will start by delving into the development of deep vein thrombosis, signs and symptoms, and the various interventions. Besides, the paper will analyze the impact of this medical condition in pregnant women, and analyze the ethical considerations. Lastly, the paper will state the relevance of learning about deep vein thrombosis by nurses.

History

It is written that the first human being to be affected with this condition was in the year 1271 a cobbler who had develop inflammation on the legs. Due to the underdevelopment of medicine, the patient sought solution by visiting the grave of the dead king Louis ix and rubbing the dust from the tomb on the legs.

Coincidentally after this, they got healed. After this miraculous healing of this patient, the society started to take cognizance of this medical condition. From there own, the case of deep vein thrombosis started to gain popularity. Moreover, this condition mainly attacked women who were pregnant and women who were suffering from depression after childbirth.

During this time, it was believed that the causes of a blood clot in pregnant women were a result of evil. Later on, a doctor by the name Hunt discovered that deep vein thrombosis was a result of blood clots, and the solution to this problem was the performance of venous litigation. Also, people were mainly advised to rest and not get involved in any training activity.

Risk Factors

Certain factors are likely to increase the likelihood of pregnant women getting affected by this condition. Firstly, a pregnant woman who has diabetes is likely to get deep vein thrombosis. Secondly, a pregnant woman with varicose veins condition is a target. Thirdly, a pregnant woman with a urinary tract disease is also susceptible.

Fourthly, a pregnant lady, who has Crohn's disease is likely to get deep vein thrombosis. Fifthly, women who get pregnant, above the age of 35, are also likely to be affected by this condition during pregnancy. Sixthly, a woman who is pregnant with twins is also susceptible. Finally, pregnant women with a body mass index of thirty and above are more likely to suffer from deep vein thrombosis.

Signs and Symptoms

In most people who have suffered deep vein thrombosis, they often state that they felt some pain while walking, and some form of discoloration around the legs. Others state that they felt some warmness and tenderness around the affected leg. In most cases, these signs and symptoms are the same as those experienced by pregnant women.

Therefore there are various signs and symptoms observed on a pregnant woman who is likely to develop deep vein thrombosis. Firstly, the pregnant woman will experience pain as a result of inflammation of the leg. Secondly, the veins of the woman will be extensive and easily visible. Thirdly, the person will experience some discomfort while taking a walk. Fourthly, the pregnant woman will experience some tenderness on their legs, especially the area around the calf.

Interventions

The first treatment option available for pregnant women is the administration of low molecular weight heparins (Solari & Varacallo, 2020). Low molecular weight heparins include drugs like Dalteparin, Tinzaparin, Bemiparin, Reviparin, Enoxaparin, Parnaparin, and Certoparin (Solari & Varacallo, 2020). These drugs act by preventing the coagulation process from changing the blood into a clot.

The second treatment option available to pregnant women who are affected by deep vein thrombosis is anticoagulation therapy. Anticoagulation therapy will help to eliminate the factors that cause blood to clot. In most cases of anticoagulation therapies, thrombin inhibitors are the ones that are employed to solve the problem. Further, thrombin inhibitors are classified into two i.e., direct and indirect inhibitors.

Impact of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Pregnant Women

A blood clot developing in the leg of a pregnant woman will harm the life of the person. Firstly if the clot can travel from the leg towards the lungs, it may lead to a fatal condition known as pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism accounts for at least 10% of fall deaths during pregnancy.

Ethical Considerations and the Importance of Studying Deep Vein Thrombosis

There are various risks involved in the diagnosis and treatment of pregnant women. Thus health practitioners must be able to advise them accordingly. For instance, in some case, a patient may be misdiagnosed or even given a treatment that is not compatible with their body. Thus consent must be obtained from the patient at the beginning of the interaction (Khan et al., 2017).

Further, patients should be well informed about the consent they are supposed to give. It is because a properly informed patient will be able to understand the advantages and disadvantages of the application of a particular intervention method (Khan et al., 2017). All health professionals must learn about deep vein thrombosis.

It is because a well-informed nurse will be able to administer the proper intervention method and monitor the patient effectively. For instance, Yu-Fen MA, Yuan XU, Ya-Ping Chen, Xiao-Jie Wang, Hai-Bo Deng, Yu He, and Xin-Juan WU undertook a study title,” Nurses’ objective knowledge regarding venous thromboembolism prophylaxis." In this study, they concluded that undergraduate nurses have more knowledge of deep vein thrombosis than diploma nurses (MA et al., 2018). Also, these nurses will be able to reduce the risks and complications that are often associated with deep vein thrombosis.

Conclusion

Deep vein thrombosis is a medical condition that inactive persons and pregnant women. A pregnant woman is six times more likely to develop deep vein thrombosis than a woman who is not pregnant.it is because of various factors but mainly due to the pregnancy itself. Thus pregnant women must seek help early if they notice any signs and symptoms of the disease since it is fatal when the clot travels to the lungs.

References

Khan, F., Bourjeily, G., & Vaillancourt, C. (2017). Diagnosis and Management of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Pregnancy. Researchgate. Retrieved 11 July 2020, from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317266064_Diagnosis_and_Management_of_Deep_Vein_Thrombosis_in_Pregnancy.

MA, Y., XU, Y., Chen, Y., Wang, X., Deng, H., He, Y., & WU, X. (2018). Nurses’ objective knowledge regarding venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. NCBI. Retrieved 11 July 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5902296/.

Solari, F., & Varacallo, M. (2020). Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH). Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 11 July 2020, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK525957/.