Collapsed veins. Can someone explain?

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I have heard that drug addict's veins collapse and/or harden. What causes them to collapse and hardened? If they do this then how does deoxgenated blood course thru the body?

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Specializes in ER.

An IV drug is irritating to the vein. The veins begin to harden after numerous repeat exposures to the drugs. The veins do not actually collapse, but rather they harden and narrow. Think of it as a narrowed garden hose. The lumen of the vessel decreases, blood still can get through, but less is flowing through. The smaller the vessel, the smaller volume of blood it can hold.

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An IV drug is irritating to the vein. The veins begin to harden after numerous repeat exposures to the drugs. The veins do not actually collapse, but rather they harden and narrow. Think of it as a narrowed garden hose. The lumen of the vessel decreases, blood still can get through, but less is flowing through. The smaller the vessel, the smaller volume of blood it can hold.

great answer paer.

op, those w/sclerosed veins, develop collateral circulation to compensate for its lack.

our bodies are amazing, even when being abused...yes?

leslie

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great answer paer.

op, those w/sclerosed veins, develop collateral circulation to compensate for its lack.

our bodies are amazing, even when being abused...yes?

leslie

What the heck is collateral circulation?????

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Specializes in cardiothoracic surgery.

Collateral circulation is when your body develops a way around an injured/damaged vessel. It is circulation that bypasses your injured vessel. Working on a cardiac floor, we have had patients that have had a coronary artery that was occluded, but they had developed collateral circulation around the occluded vessel so the heart continues to receive a blood supply and the patients had no idea they had an occluded coronary artery. Hope that makes sense.

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Collateral circulation is when your body develops a way around an injured/damaged vessel. It is circulation that bypasses your injured vessel. Working on a cardiac floor, we have had patients that have had a coronary artery that was occluded, but they had developed collateral circulation around the occluded vessel so the heart continues to receive a blood supply and the patients had no idea they had an occluded coronary artery. Hope that makes sense.[/quote

Yes, but how does it work it's way around? Does it just circulate thru capillaries, is what I'm asking.

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The collateral coronary circulation develops over time. This is why people that are older when they have a MI are much better off than younger people that have heart attacks. The younger folks don't have the time to develop the collaterals like someone that has had gradually narrowing arteries over many years.

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Specializes in Cardiac, ER.

The body actually creates new vessels to carry blood around the occluded one.

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The body actually creates new vessels to carry blood around the occluded one.

Yes, this answers my question. Thanks! So the body creates new ones. I had no idea.

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The collateral coronary circulation develops over time. This is why people that are older when they have a MI are much better off than younger people that have heart attacks. The younger folks don't have the time to develop the collaterals like someone that has had gradually narrowing arteries over many years.

I remember my anatomy teacher saying something about that too. She said that younger ppl die more readily with MI's than older folk.

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