| Venous stasis | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Venostasis |
 | |
| Skin changes as a result of long term venous stasis | |
Venous stasis, or venostasis, is a condition of slow blood flow in the veins, usually of the legs.
Presentation
Complications
Potential complications of venous stasis are:
- Venous ulcers
- Blood clot formation in veins (venous thrombosis), that can occur in the deep veins of the legs (deep vein thrombosis, DVT) or in the superficial veins
Causes
Causes of venous stasis include:
- Obesity
- Pregnancy
- Previous damage to leg
- Blood clot
- Smoking
- Swelling and inflammation of a vein close to the skin
- Congestive heart failure.
- Long periods of immobility that can be encountered from driving, flying, bed rest/hospitalization, or having an orthopedic cast. Recommendations by clinicians to reduce venous stasis and DVT/PE often encourage increasing walking, calf exercises, and intermittent pneumatic compression when possible.