Broken Finger And Blood Clots

If you were involved in an accident at work that left you with a broken finger, you may develop a blood clot. Although blood clotting is an essential part of the normal healing process, it can become dangerous. The reason being that if your blood clots too much following a broken finger injury, it can be life-threatening and must be dealt with by a doctor as a matter of urgency.

What Are The Symptoms of a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

The symptoms of a blood clot and a bruise can often be similar. However, if you have developed a blood clot as a result of a broken finger, certain types of blood clots can have a serious and life-threatening impact.

Symptoms associated with bruises:

• Initially a bruise appears reddish, but then it starts to change colour turning a dark blue, purple and/or blackish as time progresses. This change of colour is a part of the healing process and as time goes by, the lighter in colour a bruise becomes until skin colour turns back to normal. Although a bruise may be painful to the touch as the healing process progresses, the discomfort dissipates as time passes. To find out more about broken finger information and treatment you can view The Health Experts website and also check out the broken finger treatment guide.

Symptoms of blood clots forming in a broken finger:

• If a deep tissue blood clot has developed or several clots (haematomas) have formed in your finger, you may experience various symptoms depending on the extent to which a blood vessel has been blocked. The most common symptoms can include the following:

Sudden pain and discomfort in an affected finger
Swelling around an affected area of the finger
Discolouration which can be anything from “red to purple to black”
The affected finger is tender to the touch

What Are The Consequences of a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

When a blood clots forms in a broken finger, as previously mentioned it blocks blood flow and oxygen does not circulate to surrounding tissue. A blood clot of this type can prove life-threatening because it causes tremendous and irreversible damage to cells causing them to die. The consequences of a blood clot forming in a broken finger can result in the following:

• Suffering a stroke – should the blood clot travel to your brain
• A heart attack – should the blood clot travel to your heart
• A pulmonary embolism – should the blood clot travel to your lungs
• Mesenteric ischemia – should the blood clot travel to your intestines
• Deep vein thrombosis – should the blood clot form in a deep vein, more typically in your leg

The Definition of a Blood Clot

The medical term for a blood clots is “thrombus” and as previously mentioned, blood clotting is a vital part of a healing process because the process prevents excessive bleeding following an injury which includes if you have sustained a broken finger. Small blood clots that develop normally disappear, but if they get larger or develop on their own without an injury having been sustained because of hypercoagulation, medical attention must be sought as soon as possible because a blood clot can travel to other parts of your body, including your vital organs.

What Causes a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

A blood clot can form in a broken finger injury for the following reasons:

• Trauma
• Damaged blood vessels in an affected finger
• Ruptured cholesterol plaques found in blood vessels which as a result produce bleeding that can then trigger the blood to clot

When a blood clot forms in a broken finger, blood can leak out into the surrounding tissue. The leaked blood collects and forms clots which are referred to as a haematoma, However, if the clot forms and the flow of blood is negatively impacted. When this occurs, your finger would turn a strange colour which can be red, purple and right through to black.

Is it a Blood Clot or a Bruise?

Both blood clots and bruises typically develop because you have sustained damage to the blood vessels found in your fingers. However, there is a big difference between a bruise and a blood clot which is explained below:

• A bruise will resolve itself with the passage of time with your skin changing colour during the healing process
• A blood clot forms in deeper tissue or in the blood vessel itself and is not generally visible

Health experts would recognise whether you have developed a blood clot in your finger or whether it is badly bruised before deciding on the best treatment. If the doctor finds that a clot has formed in your broken finger, it would mean that you have developed thrombus which must be treated as a matter of urgency.

What Are The Symptoms of a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

The symptoms of a blood clot and a bruise can often be similar. However, if you have developed a blood clot as a result of a broken finger, certain types of blood clots can have a serious and life-threatening impact.

Symptoms associated with bruises:

• Initially a bruise appears reddish, but then it starts to change colour turning a dark blue, purple and/or blackish as time progresses. This change of colour is a part of the healing process and as time goes by, the lighter in colour a bruise becomes until skin colour turns back to normal. Although a bruise may be painful to the touch as the healing process progresses, the discomfort dissipates as time passes

Symptoms of blood clots forming in a broken finger:

• If a deep tissue blood clot has developed or several clots (haematomas) have formed in your finger, you may experience various symptoms depending on the extent to which a blood vessel has been blocked. The most common symptoms can include the following:

Sudden pain and discomfort in an affected finger
Swelling around an affected area of the finger
Discolouration which can be anything from “red to purple to black”
The affected finger is tender to the touch

What Are The Consequences of a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

When a blood clots forms in a broken finger, as previously mentioned it blocks blood flow and oxygen does not circulate to surrounding tissue. A blood clot of this type can prove life-threatening because it causes tremendous and irreversible damage to cells causing them to die. The consequences of a blood clot forming in a broken finger can result in the following:

• Suffering a stroke – should the blood clot travel to your brain
• A heart attack – should the blood clot travel to your heart
• A pulmonary embolism – should the blood clot travel to your lungs
• Mesenteric ischemia – should the blood clot travel to your intestines
• Deep vein thrombosis – should the blood clot form in a deep vein, more typically in your leg

What Are the Symptoms Associated with Thrombus?

The symptoms commonly associated with thrombus can vary because it depends which organs and tissue are affected, but can include the following:

• Your speech becomes slurred and you experience a weakness and numbness of one side of your body which are typical signs of suffering a stroke
• A pain in your chest together with a shortness of breath, which could be a sign that you are experiencing a heart attack or suffering a pulmonary embolism
• A pain in your abdomen, fever with blood found in your stool which could be a sign that you are suffering from mesenteric ischemia
• Pain and swelling in your leg which are typical signs of having developed deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

Should you experience any of the above symptoms following a broken finger injury, you must seek medical attention as a matter of urgency.

How Do Doctors Diagnose Blood Clots and Bruises?

A doctor would carry out a thorough examination of your broken finger injury and read up on your medical history before carrying out specific imaging tests to establish whether it is a bruise or a blood clot that has formed. The imaging tests that would be done could include the following:

• An ultrasound
• A CT scan
• An MRI scan

These imaging tests would help a doctor when it comes to looking for blood clots that may have formed in your blood vessels, in tissues and internal organs.

When diagnosing a bruise, a doctor can usually do this by carrying out a physical examination which would also typically identify whether small blood clots have formed under your fingernails which are referred to as subungual haematomas.

How Does a Doctor Treat a Blood Clot in a Broken Finger Injury?

A doctor would carry out a thorough examination of your finger before prescribing blood thinning medication that would prevent blood clots from forming. To find out information on broken fingers on the NHS website visit the NHS link. Occasionally, a blood clot may need to be treated by surgical intervention which would require a stay in hospital.

Thrombosis is one of the dangers of long-haul flying. If you are going on a long haul flight in the near future then it is important that you understand the possible risks to your health. Although some people are more susceptible than others, thrombosis can affect anybody.

What is Thrombosis?

Thrombosis is the formation of blood clots within blood vessels. Clotting is a natural process which the body should perform in places where there is an injury. It should help to prevent blood loss and healing; however it can have serious consequences if the clots form in the wrong place.

A clot can slow or completely stop blood flow to the area. The consequences can be particularly severe if the clot blocks the flow of blood to a major organ. It is possible for a clot to dislodge from its original site and then travel to another location in the body.

Rad more about what is thrombosis here.

Why is thrombosis associated with air travel?

Although some people are more likely to suffer from thrombosis due to genetic factors, anyone can be affected by the condition. Diet, lifestyle and environmental factors can all increase a person’s likelihood of developing thrombosis. Air travel can create the “perfect storm” for thrombosis, especially for those who are predisposed to suffer from unnecessary clotting.

Those who travel in economy class seating are even more likely to develop problems, due to the cramped seating conditions. Low legroom seats force passengers to sit still for long periods in a position which can affect the blood flow. The way that this sort of seating bends the knees can make it very difficult for blood to flow freely. It compresses the popliteal vein in the back of the knees, which creates the perfect site for clot formation.

The atmospheric conditions on a plane also put people at an increased risk of clot formation. The lower cabin pressure in the plane actually affects the speed of the blood flow around the body. This is exacerbated by the lower oxygen levels and the lower levels of humidity (dry air) which are also associated with airplane cabins.

Is alcohol a contributing factor?

Many people enjoy a few drinks whilst they are on an airplane, because this helps them to feel more relaxed during the flight, however; drinking alcohol whilst flying can further increase the risk of developing a blood clot in fliers who are already susceptible. More alcohol in the blood affects they way that it clots. Similarly, fliers who fail to drink enough water during a flight may also be putting themselves at risk.

Do delays put passengers at higher risk?

Anything that forces air passengers to remain seated can increase the risks that they face. Flight delays which occur once the passenger is already on the plane can make passengers particularly susceptible. When planes are delayed on the tarmac, the flight crew often request that passengers remain seated so that the plane can be ready for takeoff at short notice. However, this increases the amount of time that passengers are required to spend in cramped conditions.

In order to protect passengers, airlines should allow passengers to remain free to move if they are aware that the flight delay is likely to be a significant one. Failure to do this may be considered to be a breach of the airlines duty of care to passengers who could then claim flight delay compensation.

Ways to reduce risk during air travel

Passengers can reduce the risks that they face during air travel by making certain changes whilst they are travelling. Loose, comfortable clothes for flying can help to reduce the likelihood that the blood flow will be altered due to constriction. Some airlines provide fliers with special flight socks when they are on long journeys. These special socks are designed to reduce the risks of DVT. Flight socks are also available from most high street pharmacies.

During the flight, travellers should make sure that they get up and move around at regular intervals. If it is not possible to stand up and walk around, then travellers should still try to engage in seated anti-DVT exercise. Simple ankle circles are a great way to help to keep the blood moving around the lower legs and feet. Leg raises which involve lifting and straightening the leg can help passengers to reduce the risks associated with keeping the knees bent. Rolling the shoulders whilst seated also helps to keep blood flowing in the upper body.

If you know that you are in a high risk group for DVT, you should consult with your doctor or specialist before taking any long haul flights. They may be able to provide special advice to help to reduce the risks. In some case, they may advise against flying. In these cases, travel insurance is unlikely to cover any medical costs if you still decides to take the trip.