Venous stasis

Venostasis, or venous stasis, is a condition of slow blood flow in the veins, usually of the legs.

Venous stasis
Other names	Venostasis
Skin changes as a result of long term venous stasis

Causes

Causes of venous stasis include:

• Chronic venous insufficiency.[1]
• Congestive heart failure.[2]
• Long periods of immobility that can be encountered from driving,[3] 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.[4][5][6]

Complications

Potential complications of venous stasis are:

• Venous ulcers
• Blood clot formation in veins (venous thrombosis), as with the deep veins of the legs (deep vein thrombosis or DVT), potentially indicating thrombosis prophylaxis.[7]

See also

• Virchow's triad

References

1. "Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)". Cleveland Clinic. Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/14/2019.
2. Zhu, Ruiqi; Hu, Yu; Tang, Liang (2017). "Reduced cardiac function and risk of venous thromboembolism in Asian countries". Thrombosis Journal. 15 (1). doi:10.1186/s12959-017-0135-3. ISSN 1477-9560.
3. Barbara G. Wells; Joseph T. DiPiro; Terry L. Schwinghammer; Gary R. Matzke; Gary C. Yee; Robert L. Talbert; L. Michael Posey (2008). Pharmacotherapy Handbook. McGraw-Hill Professional. p. 163. ISBN 9780071485012.
4. "New DVT guidelines: no evidence to support "economy class syndrome"; oral contraceptives, sitting in a window seat, advanced age, and pregnancy increase DVT risk in long-distance travelers". American College of Chest Physicians. 7 February 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2012.
5. Hecht, M. E. (2010). A practical guide to hip surgery: from pre-op to recovery. Sunrise River Press. ISBN 978-1-934716-12-0.
6. Gould MK, Garcia DA, Wren SM, et al. (2012). "Prevention of VTE in nonorthopedic surgical patients: antithrombotic therapy and prevention of thrombosis, 9th ed: American College of Chest Physicians evidence-based clinical practice guidelines". Chest. 141 (suppl 2): e227S–e277S. doi:10.1378/chest.11-2297. PMC 3278061. PMID 22315263.
7. Martinelli I, Bucciarelli P, Mannucci PM (2010). "Thrombotic risk factors: basic pathophysiology". Crit Care Med. 38 (2 Suppl): S3-9. doi:10.1097/CCM.0b013e3181c9cbd9. PMID 20083911.