www.PreventDVT.org
DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower limbs. A complication of DVT, pulmonary embolism, can occur when a fragment of a blood clot breaks loose from the wall of the vein and migrates to the lungs, where it blocks a pulmonary artery or one of its branches.
If you are off your feet for a while due to cancer or certain heart or respiratory diseases, talk to your doctor or click here for more details on DVT risk factors.
AND WHAT THEY WILL NOT TELL YOU ABOUT IT.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=154970241: Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2004 Oct;10(4):373-7. Related Articles, Links
Prevention of venous thrombosis and thrombophlebitis in long-haul flights with pycnogenol.
Belcaro G, Cesarone MR, Rohdewald P, Ricci A, Ippolito E, Dugall M, Griffin M, Ruffini I, Acerbi G, Vinciguerra MG, Bavera P, Di Renzo A, Errichi BM, Cerritelli F.
Department of Biomedical Sciences, Irvine2 Vascular Lab, G D'Annunzio University and San Valentino Vascular Screening Project (Pe), Faculty of Motory Sciences, L'Aquila University, Italy. cardres@pe.abol.it
The aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and superficial vein thrombosis (SVT) and its prophylaxis with an oral anti-edema and antithrombotic agent (Pycnogenol, Horphag, Research Management SA, Geneva, Switzerland) in long-haul flights, in subjects at moderate to high-risk of DVT and SVT. The study pre-included 244 pre-selected subjects; 211 were included (33 were excluded for several reasons due to logistic problems) and 198 completed the study; 13 subjects were lost for follow-up at the end of the flight, all for non-medical problems (i.e., for difficult connections).
All subjects were scanned within 90 minutes before the flight and within 2 hours after disembarking. Subjects were supplemented with 100 mg Pycnogenol per capsule. Treatment subjects received two capsules between 2 and 3 hours before flights with 250 mL of water; two capsules were taken 6 hours later with 250 mL of water and one capsule the next day. The control group received comparable placebo at the same intervals.
The flight duration was on average 8 hours and 15 minutes (SD 55 min) (range, 7.45-12.33). In the control group there were five thrombotic events (one DVT and four superficial thromboses) while only nonthrombotic, localized phlebitis was observed in the Pycnogenol group (5.15% vs. no events; p<0.025). The ITT (intention to treat) analysis detects 13 failures in the control group (eight lost to follow up + five thrombotic events) of 105 subjects (12.4%) vs. five failures (4.7%; all lost, no thrombotic events) in the treatment group (p<0.025). No unwanted effects were observed.
In conclusion, this study indicates that Pycnogenol treatment was effective in decreasing the number of thrombotic events (DVT and SVT) in moderate-to-high risk subjects, during long-haul flights.PMID: 15497024