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Immobility slows venous return and promotes venous stasis in the legs, setting the stage for blood clots to form in deep veins. Deep vein thrombosis is a clot that develops in deep leg veins, usually in the calf or thigh, and it represents a vascular problem within the circulatory system. The risk is driven by factors that compose Virchow’s triad: reduced blood flow from inactivity, a tendency for blood to clot more easily, and any injury to the vessel walls. A DVT can cause swelling and warmth and, more seriously, can break loose and travel to the lungs as a pulmonary embolism.

Atelectasis involves the lungs and occurs when shallow breathing leads to collapse of air sacs, not a vascular issue. Pressure injuries are problems of skin and soft tissue from sustained pressure. Muscle atrophy results from disuse of muscle tissue. Because DVT directly affects the veins and circulation, it is the cardiovascular complication most linked to immobility.