Foot Surgery Nearly Kills Serena Williams???

Less than a year ago, Serena Williams underwent foot surgery. She was in cast, walking boots and crutches for some time after the injury. She recently underwent surgery for a life threatening condition. Did her foot surgery have anything to do with her blood clot?

Pulmonary Embolisms are most often the result of a blood clot that has traveled from the blood vessels through the heart and then to the arteries of the lung. The blockage causes shortness of breath, chest pain, and can be life threatening. The clot typically originates in the deep veins of the leg. These clots are also known as a DVT. Blood clots can form in anyone, but are most likely to occur after immobilization, in the elderly, or those that have a family history of blood clots. Those who smoke, are overweight or take birth control are also at an increased risk. The risk of having a pulmonary embolism is greater in high risk large orthopedic cases such as hip surgery. The risks of a DVT after foot surgery is less than 1% and the risk of a pulmonary embolism is even less.

Why is there a risk of a DVT or pulmonary embolism after foot surgery? It is common to be immobilized after foot surgery. While in a casts, surgical boots and crutches, your lower leg is generally inactive. The calf muscles are an internal pump to move blood back to the heart. If the leg is immobile, the body has to work harder to move the blood. If there is an insufficiency in blood movement, there is a higher risk of a blood clot. Not only did Serena have recent surgery, but she has also been doing a lot of traveling. Sitting on a plane for hours will only worsen a blood clot.

Linking the surgery to Serena William’s blood clot is hard to do. The surgery was some time ago and there may be other risk factors that we are unaware of. It does demonstrate that even healthy, young individuals may be at risk of a blood clot. It is important to take certain precautions to prevent clots before they happen. If you are at high risk of a blood clot, your doctor may prescribe medication after foot surgery to help prevent blood clots and pulmonary embolism. The risk is still very low, below 1%, but the results can be serious if not treated promptly.