BL 03-04-14 11am-Noon Thrombotic Disorders - Thienelt Flashcards
Thrombosis of Veins & Arteries - Epidemiology & Reasons to ID
- among the most important causes of sickness & death in developed countries of world
- Substantial portion of pts (20-40%) w/recurrent arterial or venous thrombosis are now known to have a hereditary or acquired defect that promotes thrombosis
Important to ID patients w/ these abnormalities:
- can be protected during periods of thrombotic stress (surgical procedures)
- can ID affected family members
- can initiate specific therapy when indicated
Virchow’s triad
Vascular obstruction due to thrombosis results from 3 interrelated factors:
- Decreased blood flow (venous stasis)
- Inflammation of or near blood vessels (altered vessels)
- Intrinsic alterations in nature of blood itself (altered coagulability)
Still relevant & instructive today, when considering both arterial and venous thromboses (see pic in notes)
Arterial Thrombosis - when occur
- occur under conditions of high shear stress (a condition where von Willebrand factor is critical for platelet adhesion)
Arterial Thrombosis - composition
Composed primarily of aggregated platelets, containing small amounts of fibrin & few red cells (making them appear white in color – “white thrombi”)
- If they become large enough to lead to complete arterial occlusion, ischemia and infarction of the downstream tissues occurs. Clinical manifestations are dependent upon the organ involved (heart attack with coronary artery occlusion, stroke with cerebral artery occlusion, gut ischemia with mesenteric artery occlusion, etc). Abnormalities of blood flow which can contribute to development of thrombi include hypertension and turbulent blood flow at arterial branch points and at sites of focal atherosclerosis. Abnormalities of the blood vessel can include intraluminal vascular endothelial cell injury, atherosclerotic plaque rupture, hyperhomocysteinemia, aneurysm formation, and vessel dissection. Altered coagulability can be due to platelet activation, hyperviscosity such as may occur with certain malignancies, and thrombocytosis.
Affect of large arterial clots
If become large enough to lead to complete arterial occlusion
—> ischemia & infarction of downstream tissues
Clinical manifestations of arterial clots
Dependent upon organ involved:
- heart attack w/ coronary artery occlusion
- stroke w/ cerebral artery occlusion
- gut ischemia w/ mesenteric artery occlusion, etc.
Abnormalities of blood flow which can contribute to development of arterial thrombi
Include:
- HTN
- turbulent blood flow at arterial branch points & at sites of focal atherosclerosis
Abnormalities of the blood vessel which can contribute to development of arterial thrombi
Include:
- intraluminal vascular endothelial cell injury
- atherosclerotic plaque rupture
- hyperhomocysteinemia
- aneurysm formation
- vessel dissection
Altered coagulability which can contribute to development of arterial thrombi
Can be due to…
- platelet activation
- hyperviscosity (occurs w/ certain malignancies)
- thrombocytosis
Venous thrombi - when occur
- typically develop under conditions of slow blood flow (low shear stress)
- Increased age also contributes to increased risk for thrombosis, likely due to multiple factors
Venous thrombi - compositions
Primarily composed of large amounts of fibrin containing numerous red cells (“red thrombi”)
Abnormalities of blood flow which can contribute to development of venous thrombi
Stasis can be due to numerous factors:
- right-sided heart failure
- pre-existing venous thrombosis
- extrinsic vascular compression by tumor
- immobility
- obesity
- chronic venous insufficiency, etc.
Abnormalities of the blood vessel which can contribute to development of venous thrombi
Include:
- direct trauma or surgery
- extrinsic compression
- presence of a foreign body such as an IV catheter,
- vascular endothelial cell injury due to exposure to toxins or excess levels of homocysteine
Altered coagulability which can contribute to development of venous thrombi
Can be due to…
- inherited or acquired disorders of procoagulant proteins
- deficiency of anticoagulant proteins
- deficient fibrinolysis
Can also be due to other factors such as:
- use of oral contraceptives
- pregnancy
- malignancy
- hyperhomocysteinemia
- hyperviscosity
- presence of antiphospholipid antibodies
Symptoms of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolus (PE)
= can be vague & non-specific, making it difficult to make a Dx at times & making it important to have a high index of suspicion
- up to 50% are asymptomatic or undetected
Clinical signs and symptoms of DVT - severe/complete obstruction
Complete obstruction of a proximal vein (such as a massive iliofemoral thrombosis)
—> nearly complete obstruction of venous outflow from an extremity
—> phlegmasia cerulean dolens
= an extremely swollen, blue, painful leg
Clinical signs and symptoms of DVT - less obstruction
- pain
- pitting edema of distal extremity
- warm, dusky, reddish-blue discoloration of skin caused by enhanced superficial venous blood flow
Sometimes these physical signs can be very subtle, requiring good light & asking pt to stand for a few minutes to appreciate differences in size, warmth, color, or edema between normal & involved legs
Postthrombotic syndrome
= one consequence of extremity DVT
- due to chronic venous insufficiency & chronic venostasis
- –> Affected extremities become chronically swollen & painful & show dark skin discoloration
- –> Cutaneous ulcers can develop, usually around the ankle when a leg is affected
- –> Recurrent bouts of leg pain & swelling can occur due to intermittent obstruction of blood flow in the absence of formation of new thrombi.
Pulmonary embolism - what is it
= dreaded complication of DVT
= occurs when part of a thrombus breaks off & travels through major veins, past right heart, & into pulmonary artery circulation until it becomes lodged
—>Lung tissue past the thrombus cannot participate in gas exchange & can infarct
Saddle emboli
= clot involving both pulmonary arteries
—> cardiovascular arrest & death can occur
Location of DVT & likelihood of causing a PE
DVT restricted to the calf veins
- uncommonly results in clinically important PE
- rarely associated w/ fatal outcome
DVT involving popliteal or more proximal leg veins
- if inadequately treat, is associated w/ 20-50% risk of clinically relevant recurrence
- strongly associated w/ symptomatic & fatal PE
Signs/Symptoms of PE
Classic signs & symptoms include:
- sudden chest pain
- dyspnea
- anxiety
- cough
- syncope
- cyanosis
Hemoptysis can occur uncommonly
Patients can present w/ cardiac arrest & sudden death.
Patients w/ small but recurrent PE can develop chronic dyspnea & chronic pulmonary HTN with elevated right heart pressures.
Significant mortality can occur if an unrecognized PE goes untreated.
Diagnosis of Venous Thrombosis
B/c of often vague or non-specific signs/symptoms, Dx of DVT or PE based on history & physical alone can be difficult & unreliable.
Once venous thrombus is suspected, further testing is required to make a definitive Dx.
Evidence-based algorithms using test sensitivity & specificity & pretest probability developed to aid in diagnosing DVT & PE
- one useful screening test in these algorithms is the D-dimer assay
D-dimer - how it works
= very useful screening test for venous thrombi
D-dimers can only be formed when cross-linked fibrin has been degraded by plasmin via fibrinolysis
- So, there must be formation of a clot if D-dimers are present, making D-dimer assay an indirect measure of clot formation.