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HealthInfo Aoraki South Canterbury

Reducing your risk of a DVT or PE

Te whakawhāiti i tō tūraru DVT, PE rānei

Some people may have a high risk of having another deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). If you're one of these people, your doctor may advise you to continue taking blood thinning medication, or to take it in circumstances where you might be at risk of another DVT.

Risk factors for a DVT and PE

Many factors can increase your risk of developing a DVT. The more risk factors you have, the greater your risk.

Medical conditions

Lifestyle factors

Other risk factors

In the future, always tell your health professional that you've had a DVT, even if you do not know if it's relevant to what you're being treated for.

Your doctor may suggest some tests to find out what caused your DVT or PE. To reduce the risk of further problems, your doctor may suggest you wear compression stockings, but they aren't suitable for everyone.

If you wear compression stockings, you can buy a device to help you put them on. This video shows you how to use one of these devices. You can buy a device like this at your local health and mobility shop.

Reducing your risk of a DVT or PE

You can reduce your chance of another DVT or pulmonary embolism PE by:

When travelling long distances (more than four hours) by plane, car or train:

Aspirin does not reduce your risk of having a DVT. But if you are at a high risk of having a DVT, your doctor may recommend you have another blood thinning medication before long travel.

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Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed February 2023.

Sources

Page reference: 655088

Review key: HIDVT-21919