Arterial Thrombosis: A Dangerous Complication That Concerns All of Us
What is arterial thrombosis, who is at risk, how is it treated?
Arteries are vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of our body. Arterial thrombosis is the presence of a clot inside the artery, which blocks or stops the flow of blood and consequently the blood does not reach important organs and parts of the body. If the thrombosis lasts for more than a certain period of time, separate for each organ, the organ dies without being able to recover.
SYMPTOMS OF ARTERIAL THROMBOSIS
A clot in the arteries does not give immediate symptoms until it completely blocks the flow of blood to an organ in our body. Then we say that this organ is ischemic, that is, it does not receive blood. If this happens and depending on the part of the body that is ischemic, the following most common symptoms can occur:
- If the flow to the heart muscle is interrupted, we have myocardial infarction with the well-known symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath and dizziness/syncope.
- If the flow to the brain is interrupted, we have a stroke, with inability to move one side of the body, drooping of one side of the face, confused speech (dysarthria) or aphasia. If the symptoms return within less than 24 hours, then we are talking about a transient ischemic stroke with a clearly better prognosis if the cause is treated promptly.
- If the flow to an abdominal organ is interrupted, most often the patient’s intestine, then we have the so-called mesenteric ischemia. Mesenteric ischemia is one of the most difficult diagnoses because the patient initially presents with severe abdominal pain that may subside and necrosis of the bowel may begin.
- In the event that blood flow to the upper or lower extremities is interrupted, we have acute limb ischemia, which occurs most frequently in the lower extremities. The symptoms of acute limb ischemia are six in particular: (1) absence of pulses, (2) pain, (3) change in skin color (white or blue), (4) absence of skin sensation, (5) paralysis of the limb, and (6) low temperature (frozen limb).
WHO IS AT RISK OF ARTERIAL THROMBOSIS
Patients with fatty deposits in the walls of the vessels, called atherosclerosis, are the most susceptible to the occurrence of arterial thrombosis. These deposits gradually reduce the diameter of the arteries, causing narrowing and gradually thrombosis.
The following increase the likelihood of developing atherosclerosis:
- Age
- Smoking
- Obesity
- Lack of exercise
- Heredity
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Diabetes
In some cases, arterial thrombosis can be caused by conditions that increase the likelihood of clot formation, such as atrial fibrillation and antiphospholipid syndrome.
MINIMALLY INVASIVE TREATMENT OF ARTERIAL THROMBOSIS
From a vascular surgical perspective, modern endovascular techniques offer unique possibilities for immediate removal of the thrombus, minimally invasively and without clinical burden for the patient. These endovascular techniques, which have as their main purpose the aspiration or dissolution of the thrombus, have high success rates and our experience has made us pioneers in Greece in the use of these state-of-the-art technologies. Beyond the purely technical part of removing the thrombus, the time to restore blood flow to the organ is extremely important. That is why at the Athens Medical Center we have created an interdisciplinary team of doctors that treats the patient with arterial thrombosis from its cause to the removal of the clot and the possible problems that can arise from ischemia.
Author
