Woman’s Doc: Treating Venous Insufficiency

January 10, 2011

Condition Causes Aches, Swelling

BALTIMORE — Roughly 8 million to 10 million people in the U.S. suffer from an uncomfortable condition called venous insufficiency, which can affect people who stand for long periods of time, such as nurses or teachers.

Dr. Paul Lucas, of Mercy Medical Center’s Vascular Center, said venous insufficiency is a buildup of pressure going down the legs.

“It can be as mild as achiness, with or without swelling, and one leg may swell more than another,” he said.

Lucas said the condition is caused by leaky valves in the legs.

“When the heart beats, the valve opens, and the blood moves in an upward direction. When the heart is at rest, the valve closes, preventing reflux of blood back down the leg,” he explained. “There is a failure of the valves to fully close when the heart is at rest, which causes reflux of blood back down the veins through the valve, which increases pressure in the lower part of the leg.

“He said the treatment is often simple — avoid long sessions of sitting or standing and wear compression stockings.

“I’m on my feet a lot, so I wear these stockings. It helps give my legs support and makes them feel better and not as tired,” said Cheryl, who’s been a nurse for 25 years.

Doctors said while most patients with venous insufficiency are women, men can also have problems with it.

This is a re-post from WBALTV.com

Anti-Clotting Drug, Coumadin: Recalled by Bristol-Myers Squibb

Bristol-Myers Squibb announced a recall of the anti-clotting drug Coumadin because the amount of the active ingredient could change over time. A total of 144,672 one milligram pills were recalled, all distributed in the United States, and came from eight production lots, and bear expiration dates from June 2011 and November 2012.

The company said that the amount of isopropanol in the pills could change. Isopropanol is used to keep the tablet’s active ingredient in its crystalline form. As the amount of isopropanol changes, the amount of the active ingredient could be increased or reduced. Bristol-Myers Squibb said that the risk of clotting may increase if the amount of active ingredient is decreased, and if the active ingredient is increased, the patient faces greater risk of bleeding.

Coumadin (aka Warfarin) is used to treat or prevent blood clots. Compression stockings are also used when blood clots are of concern. Graduated medical compression socks and compression hosiery help reduce the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome after clotting and can be purchased online at a compression stocking store such as Healthy Leg Depot.