Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is often referred to as a severe medical condition, and it is associated with the development of thrombus in deep veins (Thompson, 2015; Vedantham et al., 2016). It could be said that DVT is discovered as a result of injury, surgery, changes in hormones, and a non-active lifestyle. Its symptoms are swelling of the extremity, pain, and changes in skin color (Thompson, 2015). One of the most dangerous effects of DVT is the ability of a blood clot to be transferred to the lungs with the help of a blood circulation system while leading to problems with breathing (Thompson, 2015).
Apart from the symptoms emphasized above, DVT may cause changes in temperature in the extremities of the human body. Subsequently, the primary goal of the paper is to discover this phenomenon, as I will expect a temperature rise in the limb with DVT. In the end, conclusions are drawn to summarize the main findings of the paper.
As it was mentioned earlier, a change in skin temperature is also one of the symptoms of DVT, and it could be localized in the wounded extremity (Geng, Xiao, Song, Wang, & Zhao, 2016). In this case, the patient would feel the warmth in the limb (Thompson, 2015). It could be said it was not highlighted in the previous work since it could not be discovered as the most common symptom of DVT. Paying attention only to the outcomes of thermographic testing might confuse, as an increase in temperature might also be a sign of other medical conditions such as cellulitis and superficial thrombophlebitis (Tibbs, 2013). Consequently, relying on this method solely may be a potential cause of the wrong diagnosis while having negative effects on the patient’s health.
Nevertheless, these symptoms can still be considered. For example, monitoring positive changes in temperature that are accompanied by swelling and pain can ease the diagnosis and provide treatment to a patient immediately (Geng et al., 2016). Paying attention to the temperature in the context of varicose veins diseases is vital, as, for example, its decrease may be a symptom of other medical conditions such as acute ischemia (Tibbs, 2013). As for the reasons, these temperature fluctuations take place due to the issues with blood circulation and associated changes in blood pressure. In this instance, prompt diagnosis can help reduce the percentage of lethal cases caused by DVT and other venous diseases and illnesses, and one cannot underestimate changes in temperature as one of the critical symptoms of DVT.
In the end, in the context of the presented case, I would expect that the temperature would increase in the extremity of DVT. A primary rationale for paying attention to this matter is the fact that DVT is often accompanied by the warmth in wounded leg or arm. In this instance, an increase in temperature can be considered as one of the signs of the development of a blood clot in the limb. Nonetheless, relying solely on this symptom and thermography would not be reasonable since temperature fluctuations might be signs of other diseases of varicose veins such as cellulitis and superficial thrombophlebitis.
Meanwhile, a temperature decrease might imply ischemia. Overall, it is expected that the temperature would experience a positive rise in the extremity with DVT. Still, during the process of diagnosis, other symptoms such as pain, swelling, and physical condition and instruments, including ultrasound examination, have to be considered to provide appropriate medical treatment to a patient.
References
Geng, X., Xiao, S., Song, Q., Wang, L., & Zhao, Z. (2016). Correlation analysis between the risk factors and lethal thrombosis formation after lower limb fracture. International Journal of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, 9(6), 9527-9523.
Thompson, A. (2015). Deep vein thrombosis. JAMA, 313(20), 2090.
Tibbs, D. (2013). Varicose veins and related disorders. Oxford, UK: Butterworth Heinemann.
Vedantham, S., Sista, A., Klein, S., Nayak, L., Razavi, K., Kalva, S., … Nicolic, B. (2016). Quality improvement guidelines for the treatment of lower-extremity deep thrombosis with use of endovascular thrombus removal. Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 25(1), 1317-1325.