VENOUS TONE REGULATORY MECHANISMS - WHATS NEW

The mechanisms regulating venous tone have an important effect on whet her a patient develops the complication on post operative venous throm bosis. In animal studies, venous endothelial damage has been demonstra ted in veins remote from the operative wound, and correlated with the amount of operative venodilation. In human studies, operative venodila tion has been directly correlated with venographically proven postoper ative deep venous thrombosis. Interestingly, operative venodilation an d post operative deep venous thrombosis can be avoided with venotonic agents. The mechanisms responsible for the maintenance of venous tone are complex. The venous response is likely a result of a complex inter action of circulating biologically active substances, the endothelium- vascular smooth muscle interaction as well as humoral-endothelial-neur otransmitter balance.