Which scenario increases the risk of DVT?

• A. Recent surgery, malignancy, pregnancy, trauma, or leg immobilization
• B. Chest swelling
• C. Recurrent knee effusion
• D. Chronic hip pain

Answer: (A)

Depth of venous clotting rises when the body tips toward slower blood flow, a tendency to clot, and injury to the vein lining. The scenario that includes recent surgery, malignancy, pregnancy, trauma, or leg immobilization hits these factors hard. Surgery often damages vessel walls and leads to periods of limited movement, both promoting clot formation. Cancer pushes the blood toward hypercoagulability, and tumors can physically compress veins, worsening stasis. Pregnancy increases clotting factors and commonly reduces venous return due to the enlarged uterus, plus limited mobility during pregnancy contributes to stasis. Trauma can directly injure veins, triggering clotting. Leg immobilization markedly reduces the calf muscle pump activity that normally helps push blood back toward the heart, causing stagnation in the deep veins.

In contrast, chest swelling, recurrent knee effusion, or chronic hip pain describe symptoms or conditions that don’t inherently create the high-risk combination of hypercoagulability, venous stasis, and endothelial injury seen with the scenarios above. While they may be important clinical features elsewhere, they are not the scenarios that best increase DVT risk.