Venous thromboembolism occurs when a blood clot forms somewhere in the body and travels to the lungs – this is called a pulmonary embolism – or the veins of the legs, arms, or pelvis. Blood clots stop or decrease blood flow to the body and have life-threatening side effects.
The veins carry blood back to the heart from the rest of the body. Veins carry blood against the force of gravity since they are moving blood up to the heart. If there is a blood clot in the veins, blood that can’t get past the clot gets stuck. This can cause inflammation around the clot and deprive the tissues of the body of essential nutrients.
Venous thromboembolism, or blood clots that specifically form in the veins, do not cause strokes or heart attacks. Typically, blood clots in the arteries have those effects. However, venous thromboembolisms, or VTEs, can be just as life-threatening.
Common symptoms of venous thromboembolism in a vein in the legs or arm include warmth, swelling, redness, and pain around the area.
Common symptoms of a venous thromboembolism that has become lodged in the lungs, forming a pulmonary embolism, are:
Blood clotting can occur for many reasons, including having an abnormal amount of blood-clotting proteins, leading a sedentary lifestyle, frequent long-distance travel, and injury or infection.
Risk factors for venous thromboembolism include:
Talk to your doctor about ways to minimise your risk for venous thromboembolism.
To diagnose venous thromboembolism, your healthcare provider will ask you for a medical history and current symptoms. They may run some blood tests to look for abnormal levels of clotting factors and may use imaging tests, like ultrasound or computerised tomography (CT) scans, to try and visualise the blood clot.
To rule out a venous thromboembolism that has travelled to the lungs and become a pulmonary embolism, your provider may order tests that measure the amount of oxygen in your blood or imaging tests of your chest that will show if you have a blockage in the lungs.
Complications of VTE include pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, and death. People who have a pulmonary embolism, or blood clot that has travelled to the lungs, may experience these complications if they don’t seek treatment. If one doesn’t receive treatment for a pulmonary embolism, blood pressure in the lungs rises. The heart has to work harder to get blood out, and this can lead to eventual death if it goes untreated.
Some venous thromboembolisms may be treated with oral blood-thinning medications to prevent a clot from getting bigger and to prevent the formation of future clots. If a venous thromboembolism poses an immediate threat to your health, surgery will be performed to remove it.
Frequent movement is the best way to prevent venous thromboembolism.