Researchers Study Flight Blood Clot Risk

Dutch researchers say the risk for leg clots on long flights apparently goes considerably further than just sitting still for hours.

Low oxygen levels on planes might be a reason, the researchers say in a report published in The Lancet.

The team, headed by Dr. Anja Schreijer of the vascular medicine department at Leiden University in the Netherlands is studying deep vein thrombosis, also known as DVT, a potentially dangerous type of blood clot that develops in the deep veins of the legs, torso, or arms.

This kind of clot can break off and travel through the bloodstream to the lungs, causing a life-threatening pulmonary embolism.

But the group is not recommending that anyone avoid long flights, WebMD Medical News said.