What is a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism?
A vein is a blood vessel that returns blood from the tissues of the body back to the heart. The body has two distinct systems of veins, a superficial system and a deep system. The superficial system is made up of veins that are close to the skin. These are the blood vessels you frequently can see on your hand arms, or legs that can become more prominent when you exercise. The deep system is comprised of veins within the muscles of the body. The two systems are connected by small communicating veins. The body regulates the amount of blood going through both systems as a way of rigidly controlling the body’s central temperature. (More heat is lost when more blood flows through the superficial than the deep system.) A deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition wherein a blood clot (thrombus) forms in a vein of the deep system. Thrombophlebitis is a condition in which there is both inflammation and a blood clot in a vein. Thrombophlebitis can occur in either superficial or deep veins. Super
