Long drive journey in Automatic cars can be dangerous
Going on long drives can be fun especially in your automatic cars, but if you are among those who often go on long drives in their automatic cars, then you need to take care of 3 things
1. Take a break after 1-2 hrs so that your legs get relaxed
2. Make sure you wear comfortable clothes during long drives
3. Keep yourself hydrated
If you are not following the above, it may result in a serious health issue like DVT.
In some cases where patients drive automatic cars for long hours gradually face immobility in legs due to a clot in leg veins. This issue is termed as DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and in some cases where the clot travels to the lungs via bloodstream, it results in pulmonary embolism.
What is DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis)?
Leg vein comprise of tiny valves that contribute to proper blood flow towards your heart. A lot of factors like immobility, injury can result in blood clot and this is called DVT- Deep Vein Thrombosis.
In case the blood clot escapes and enters your lungs, it can result in deadly and fatal condition like pulmonary embolism.
Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary Embolism is a condition where there is a blockage that occurs in any of the arteries of lungs because of the clot. This directly decreases the flow of blood to the crucial organs like the brain and heart.
DVT results in Pulmonary Embolism even in patients without any history of heart disease
Yes, it is surprising but true that some patients with DVT are hospitalized in unconscious state, with breathing difficulty, unconsciousness or sometimes they collapse.
In such patients, doctors or vascular specialist examine their pulse rate and blood pressure and found out it to be pretty low. The doctors send such patients to examine for cardiac arrest as such symptoms are indications of cardiac arrest.
When the patient is examined for cardiac arrest the doctors use continuous CPR to keep the patient energized. Some shocking results in such cases show that the right chamber of the heart gets dilated. Even more surprising is the fact that such patients do not have a history of heart diseases.
Further diagnosis carried out by Vascular Specialist or Vascular Surgeon showed that the patient actually had DVT in the left leg, which directly resulted in pulmonary embolism.
Immediate Treatment
After assessing the condition of such patients, they should immediately start with high dosage drugs to dissolve the clot. The doctors also give medications in normal dosage to shoot up the blood pressure of the patient.
The patients regain consciousness post 24 hours of constant observation by doctors. The medications also help doctors to bring back the blood pressure to normal.
Who are at risk?
Well, anyone driving automatic cars on long journeys without taking breaks can be at risk, but the risk factor is even higher in
· Smokers
· Obese people
· People suffering from chronic illness
· Those who had surgeries in the past
Tips to follow while driving on long journeys
- Make sure you do not continue to sit in one position without moving for a longer period.
- Taking a break after 1-2 hours during a long journey would help relax your legs.
- Drink plenty of water and keep walking regularly while you are on long car/flight journeys.
- Avoid wearing tight-fitting clothes that can obstruct the blood flow in your legs.
- Avoid drinking alcohol as dehydration is also responsible for blood clotting.
So, those driving for long hours should take frequent breaks to prevent the risks of DVT and pulmonary embolism.