Management of Lower Limb Deep Venous Thrombosis in the Acute Take

Patients presenting with lower limb swelling, pain, redness and warmth should be evaluated for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). A modified Wells score (Table 1), which is a combination of clinical findings and history should be applied, if DVT felt to be likely then USS doppler exam is the next step regardless of D-Dimer blood test, while if DVT is felt to be unlikely according to modified Wells score then D-Dimer can be applied, if positive then proceed with USS doppler exam. Proximal DVT is a blood clot in the popliteal, femoral, or iliac veins, which has a high risk of embolization compared to DVT in the calf veins. Distal DVT (blood clot below knee) should be treated if there is a high risk of embolization, while distal DVT with low risk of embolization can be monitored with serial doppler ultrasound scans as resolution of the DVT is expected.