Yes.
- Orthopedic procedures, with or without immobility post op.
- Any prolonged immobility really can do it....pregnant woman on bed rest, long hospitalization (which is why we give most patients shots in the abdomen or use leg compression devices when they are too sick to move frequently), elderly nursing home patients with dementia.
- Any cancer can cause a “pro-thrombotic” state. If you may recall, Menino was hospitalized for blood clots in his lungs near the end of his life. That was most likely cancer related.
- In women, a combination of smoking and birth control pills.
- Some medications (steroids that treat inflammation, for example).
- Finally, there are a number of genetic conditions which place patients at high risk for recurrent clots. An extensive blood panel will almost certainly be ordered during his hospital stay, to rule out these conditions.
While blood clot from a long flight in the absence of a genetic predisposition will lead to a 3-6 month (usually 6) course of blood thinners (“anticoagulation”), patients who test positive for certain genetic abnormalities which predispose to clots will usually require lifelong anticoagulation.
He is likely done for the season. If his genetic testing is positive, his career is probably over.