Otitis

How do they die if a blood clot breaks away? Symptoms of a blood clot, treatment and preventive measures

“A blood clot has broken loose” - this is a terrible diagnosis often heard by relatives and friends of people who suddenly died. It’s so strange and creepy when a seemingly healthy person, who only yesterday was enjoying life and making plans for the coming years, is already dead today. And then fear is mixed with the pain of loss. How to be confident in the future? Are you insured against such an outcome? Of course, no one can prevent death from a blood clot. But you can at least minimize this likelihood.

How to do this?

Of course, the best thing a person can do to prevent a blood clot from breaking loose one day is to try to avoid a disease such as thrombosis. Those at increased risk include older people, those who are obese or lead a sedentary lifestyle, and smokers. Factors such as regular blood loss, abuse of sugar, coffee, fats and salt, severe infectious and oncological diseases, varicose veins, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis and hypertension also increase the danger. Thus, in order to prevent such a sad outcome, it is necessary to lead the most healthy and active lifestyle possible.

What is the cause of death?

It is often difficult for a person not interested in medicine to understand why a small blood clot can cause a major tragedy. A pathological blood clot formed in a vessel will sooner or later move from its place and begin to move along its own route. As soon as the blood clot breaks away from the wall of the vessel, the blood flow begins to carry it towards the heart or brain. When it reaches its goal and clogs the most important vessel (carotid artery, one of the branches of the circle of Willis, coronary artery), the patient’s fate is predetermined - a stroke or heart attack.

The first symptoms of thrombosis

If this disease is not “detected” at the very last moment, the chances of recovery are not so small. This is why it is so important to monitor your well-being (especially for those people who are predisposed to increased blood clotting) and consult a doctor in a timely manner. In medical practice, a distinction is made between venous thrombosis and thrombosis of the arteries of the lungs, brain and abdomen. The symptoms are different for each of them, so you should sound the alarm if any of the following ailments:

1. Heaviness, swelling and pain in the legs.

2. Abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea.

3. Unpleasant sensations in the chest, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat.

4. Insufficient blood supply to the brain, manifested by decreased attention, memory loss, dizziness, and migraines.

Treatment

Immediately after detecting symptoms of thrombosis, you should go to the doctor. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate: only a specialist can select medications!

What to do if one of your relatives has a blood clot?

Such an event may be a signal of your genetic predisposition to this disease. Therefore, if this happens, it is better to play it safe and take all precautions. You will have to control your own diet: the risk of developing thrombosis increases if you consume a large amount of foods that increase blood clotting: fruits, vegetables and berries of a bright red-violet color (including blackberries, beets, rowan berries, cherries and others), as well as green vegetables ( cabbage, lettuce, peas). You shouldn’t take risks by eating a lot of buckwheat porridge, pork, bananas, liver, beans and many medicinal herbs, which it’s better not to experiment with at all. On the contrary, bay leaves, lemon, red grape wine, onions, figs, raspberries, garlic and plums are beneficial for this disease. These products thin the blood and reduce the risk of blood clots.

What is a wandering thrombus?

This is the name given to a blood clot that has already broken away from the wall of the vessel and has set off to travel through the veins or arteries.

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Causes of blood clots

A thrombus is a pathological blood clot that, during a person’s lifetime, forms in the lumen of a vein or artery and attaches to its wall. Depending on the structure, there are several types:

white - form very slowly in the arteries, consist of platelets, leukocytes, fibrin;
red - include, in addition to everything described above, red blood cells and are formed in the veins with slow blood flow;
layered - they contain elements of a white and red blood clot, such blood clots appear in the heart, aorta, arteries;
hyaline - include destroyed platelets, fibrin, plasma proteins, most often appear in small vessels.

Thrombi can be parietal or occlusive, which clog the lumen of the vessel. The clot can also be floating - weakly fixed, which is held in place only by a small area and can come off at any time. Most often, such blood clots are found in the veins of the leg or arm. Once a blood clot breaks off, it is called an embolus.

The reasons why blood clots appear are varied. First of all, this process is a protective reaction of the body, which is needed to stop bleeding. Therefore, when a vessel becomes inflamed, injured, or given an injection or IV, a blood clot may appear - a thrombus. In a healthy person, it quickly resolves without the use of any drugs. But in the presence of certain pathological changes, the clot does not dissolve; on the contrary, it becomes overgrown with thrombotic masses and can break off over time. The conditions for the formation of blood clots are:

violation of the integrity of the vascular wall;
increased blood viscosity;
slowing down blood flow.

Also, blood clotting disorders and blood thickening often occur with heart pathologies, autoimmune and tumor diseases, genetic defects, diabetes mellitus, etc. Blood thickening is often caused by taking oral contraceptives, smoking, dehydration and other factors.

First symptoms and full clinical picture

Signs of a blood clot will depend on where in the body it occurs. Up to half of people with deep vein thrombosis do not experience any unpleasant symptoms at all. But for the rest, when a large blood clot appeared, the following initial signs of the disease appeared:

redness of the skin around the affected vessel (with thrombosis of the superficial vein)
pallor, marbling, cyanosis of the skin (with thrombosis of a deep large vessel); Read more about the causes of marbled skin
local pain;
hyperthermia;
sometimes - the possibility of detecting a lump on the leg or arm by palpation;
soreness when touching the skin;
leg cramps;
edema and severe swelling of the limb.

These symptoms are early symptoms of thrombosis, and in the future the development of events can follow different scenarios. If a vessel is completely obstructed by a blood clot, the skin turns brown, the pain is unbearable, and the skin becomes covered with blue spots. Blood clot rupture is a more severe variant of thrombosis progression. The signs of a broken blood clot will depend on where it happened and where it stops. These pathologies are accompanied by their own specific symptoms:

a blood clot burst in the brain: stroke development - headaches, neck pain, blurred vision;
a blood clot has broken off in the heart: the occurrence of myocardial infarction - pain behind the sternum, strong compression, pressure in the chest, pain radiating to the stomach, arms, neck, shoulder blades;
separation of a blood clot in the lungs: shortness of breath and asphyxia, or falling into a coma, pleurisy, infarction pneumonia, hemoptysis;
thrombus in the extremities: rapid cessation of blood flow, coldness of the extremity, cyanosis, development of tissue necrosis, gangrene of the extremity;
pulmonary embolism: drop in pressure, increased heart rate, chest pain, urinary retention, loss of consciousness, cerebral ischemia, collapse, respiratory failure.

If an embolus gets into the lungs, large arteries or heart, in many cases it threatens the death of a person, so the task of him and the attending physician is to prevent such consequences and not allow the blood clot to come off.

How to prevent separation

In order for a blood clot to move inside the body, the following conditions must be met. Firstly, the thrombus should not be occlusive, that is, it should be freely located in the vessel. Secondly, the speed of blood flow must be high enough so that the clot can flow from one vessel to another. Migrating blood clots can fragment into fragments and block several vital vessels, and it is almost impossible to predict exactly where this will happen. The result may be sudden death. Therefore, it is very important to do everything to prevent the detachment of a blood clot, that is, to ensure timely prevention and effective treatment of thrombosis at its early stage.

Often, deep vein thrombosis is treated with surgery - thrombectomy, or removal of the blood clot. Modern clinics most often perform such operations in a minimally invasive way, using vasodilator catheters or other special devices that insert a blood clot into the vessel and remove it from it. In this way, the vessels that contain clots are “cleaned” in order to completely rid the body of them.

Thrombosis is also treated with medication (according to indications). It may include the following methods:

Taking or administering anticoagulants - Heparin, Warfarin, Fragmin, Fraxiparin, etc. These drugs thin the blood and prevent new blood clots from appearing.
Taking antiplatelet agents - Aspirin, Cardiomagnyl to prevent blood clotting.
The use of thrombolytic drugs - Urokinase, Streptokinase to dissolve existing blood clots. These medications are administered to the patient only in a hospital under the strict supervision of a doctor. In the presence of large clots, such drugs cannot be used due to the risk of pulmonary embolism.

Non-drug therapy methods will help prevent blood clot rupture: wearing compression garments and elastic leg bandaging. You also need to monitor your diet so that it also reduces blood viscosity. The diet should contain as many vegetables, herbs, fruits as possible, as well as foods that prevent the formation of blood clots - beets, cherries, green tea.

What to do if a break occurs

First aid for embolism at home is almost impossible. Only emergency hospitalization and subsequent hospital treatment or surgery can save a person. It is difficult to answer unequivocally how the blood clot will behave and what the doctor will do in this situation, because the localization of the blood clot will be of great importance. Often, death when a blood clot breaks off occurs in a matter of minutes, so the ambulance arrives to the dead person.

If it is still possible to deliver the patient to the hospital, then treatment may include completely different methods:

installation of vena cava filters to “intercept” a blood clot;
an operation to remove an embolus that has stopped in a vessel - embolectomy;
intravenous administration of a large dose of Heparin.

Any vascular surgery itself poses a risk of new blood clots in the future. Therefore, it is important to carry out high-quality prevention of varicose veins, thrombophlebitis, atherosclerosis, as well as timely treatment so that the danger of thromboembolism does not arise.

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How to recognize

How can you tell if a blood clot has broken off? Symptoms depend on which vessel is affected. When an artery is blocked, an acute lack of oxygen and nutrients occurs in the organ that is supplied with blood by this artery. First, ischemia occurs, and then necrosis.

The most common options are:

So, when an artery in the brain is damaged, a stroke occurs. Signs include impaired sensitivity or motor activity of the limbs, and paralysis occurs. The face may become distorted (it becomes unsymmetrical), speech changes, it is difficult to pronounce words, and it is difficult to swallow food.
The coronary arteries are affected and myocardial infarction develops. Characteristic symptoms are chest pain. It can be of a pressing, baking, squeezing nature. It can only be in the area of the heart, but it can radiate to either or both arms, the interscapular area, neck, lower jaw or abdomen.

When the intestinal vessels are blocked, mesenteric thrombosis develops. There is abdominal pain, intestinal necrosis with the development of peritonitis.
An artery in an arm or leg becomes thrombosed and gangrene of the limb develops. At first, the affected limb becomes paler and colder than the healthy one. And then tissue necrosis occurs.
Pulmonary artery thrombosis is a very dangerous disease. When such a lesion develops, a person begins to suffocate. Then he turns blue and stops breathing. As a rule, this begins suddenly, against the background of complete well-being. If such signs suddenly appear, then medical help is urgently needed. If breathing and heartbeat stop, cardiac massage and artificial ventilation should be performed.

It happens that a blood clot breaks off and blocks a vein. Symptoms also vary depending on which vein is affected. The peculiarity of a clot in a vein compared to an artery is that a violation of the outflow of blood leads to stagnation and the proliferation of microorganisms. Therefore, the surrounding tissues become inflamed first, and then blood poisoning (sepsis) may occur.

So, most often such lesions are:

There is a blockage in the veins of the leg - the limb turns red, swells, and hurts.
When the portal vein is damaged, liver cirrhosis and abdominal pain occur.

The veins carrying blood from the brain become clogged, causing neck pain, headaches, and blurred vision.

Prevention

To prevent a blood clot from forming in the body, it is necessary to monitor the viscosity of the blood. If you are at risk, your doctor may consider it necessary to prescribe antiplatelet drugs (for example, aspirin). They should be taken regularly. If the patient neglects the doctor's advice, thrombosis may occur.

Damage to the arteries of the lungs is especially dangerous - this can lead to lightning death. You should not start taking these medications on your own, as they are not suitable for everyone. Be sure to consult your doctor.

An immobile lifestyle and forced body position play an important role in the formation of a clot. For example, after surgery it is necessary to maintain bed rest; for many people, work involves prolonged standing and sitting. Therefore, you should move periodically. If necessary, elastic bandaging of the lower extremities is recommended. It is useful to engage in physical exercise (everyone chooses at their own discretion). Hiking and swimming are especially good.

The diet should consist of foods that reduce cholesterol levels in the blood. You should eat a lot of vegetables, fruits, and greens. The diet should also contain foods that help reduce blood clotting (beets, green tea, cherries). If all the rules are followed (maintaining blood viscosity, nutrition and an active lifestyle), the appearance of blood clots and their consequences are prevented. And at the first symptoms of a ruptured clot, you should seek medical help!

How to fight

Treatment tactics depend on where the clot is located. If arterial thrombosis occurs, then urgent lysis (dissolution) of the embolus is necessary. For example, when cerebral vessels are blocked, a stroke occurs, cardiac vessels - myocardial infarction, and intestinal vessels - mesenteric thrombosis. The optimal time to restore blood flow is no more than two hours from the moment of the accident. Therapeutic and surgical treatment methods are used.

Drug treatment for arterial blockage involves taking drugs to help dissolve the blood clot (thrombolytics) and relieve symptoms. When the process occurs in the veins, treatment tactics may be different. It all depends on the degree of danger. It happens that a blood clot moves freely and unhindered through a vein (the so-called floating type), then a special filter is installed on the vein above the blood clot. If a blood clot breaks off, it will not pass further.

Anticoagulants (heparin, etc.) are also used to stabilize the blood clot. As a result, blood flow is restored. When medications do not help or the rupture of a blood clot is life-threatening, surgical treatment methods are used. All of them are aimed at restoring blood flow. The main task is mechanical removal of the blood clot. Stenting is also performed - a stent is installed inside the vessel, thus expanding its lumen. Bypass surgery is the creation of an additional vessel to bypass the blocked one.

If there are blood clots in the vessels or in the cavity of the heart, this fact should not be left to chance. You should take medications strictly in the dosage and frequency as prescribed by the doctor. Try not to lie low or sit for a long time, walk more. If necessary, use tight bandaging. Self-medication is also not worth it. If you are an adherent of traditional methods of treatment or leeches, then consult a doctor before starting any treatment.

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Causes of the disease

How does a blood clot appear in a vein?

The main causes of thrombosis of arteries or veins are considered to be mechanical damage to the vessel, the presence of an infectious disease, vascular inflammation, a high degree of coagulation (blood clotting), and circulatory disorders. The presence of various tumors also causes the development of blood clots due to the possibility of compression of the vessel, its swelling and edema. There are frequent cases of blood clots in women during pregnancy due to compression of the veins and arteries by the enlarged uterus.

In addition, it has been proven that the presence of concomitant diseases such as atherosclerosis, leukemia, diabetes mellitus, varicose veins, and previous myocardial infarction are factors that directly affect the development of thrombosis.

Why does detachment from the vessel wall occur?

How does a blood clot break off?

We mentioned earlier that in most cases the resulting clot resolves, especially if timely therapy with anticoagulants was carried out. However, many are interested in the question of what causes its separation, and is this always a sign of a person’s imminent death?

The main reasons for the rupture of a blood clot are:

cases when it does not completely block the blood vessel;
when the blood outflow is very rapid and strong.

This suggests the conclusion that most often blood clots break off from the walls of the arteries, and not the veins, because the speed of blood flow in the arteries is twice as high as in the veins. If the detached clot breaks into several parts, simultaneous blockage of several vessels may develop. Signs of blockage of blood vessels by a detached blood clot may differ depending on the location of the blockage.

Thus, if vein thrombosis occurs, swelling, blood stagnation, inflammation, and sepsis are observed. And if in an artery, the vessel experiences a lack of oxygen (ischemia), after which tissue necrosis of a certain organ to which this artery belongs gradually develops.

When is the disease most likely to die?

Surgery to break off a blood clot can save the patient

Since a detached blood clot can “float” throughout the body’s circulatory system, there is a risk of it stopping in the most unfavorable place: in the pulmonary artery. PE (pulmonary embolism) means a complete sudden stop of blood flow in an artery of the lung. Due to this condition, the death of a person is inevitable. Sure signs of blockage of the pulmonary artery by a detached blood clot are:

dyspnea;
lack of oxygen;
accelerated breathing;
rapid pulse;
dizziness;
convulsions;
pale skin;
dry cough.

With timely diagnosis and treatment of thrombosis, such terrible consequences can be avoided. At the first symptoms of the disease, you should immediately consult a phlebologist, who will conduct a thorough examination of the patient using instrumental diagnostics. To confirm or refute the diagnosis, it is enough to conduct Doppler sonography, duplex angioscanning of veins and arteries, and computed tomography. To prevent the formation of thrombosis, you need to donate blood to determine special markers in it that indicate a predisposition to high blood coagulation.

Treatment of venous thrombosis

How is thrombosis of veins and arteries treated?

If a doctor has diagnosed this disease, depending on the degree of its development, comprehensive treatment will be prescribed, including:

mandatory hospitalization in a hospital;
taking local and systemic anticoagulants;
injections of drugs that help dissolve the blood clot;
in particularly difficult cases, surgical intervention may be prescribed;
adding a set of therapeutic physical exercises after improving the condition;

You should also follow a special type of diet that includes foods low in cholesterol.

To prevent the unexpected development of thrombosis, we advise you to periodically visit a phlebologist, especially if you are at risk. Get tested regularly to determine D-dimer markers that increase the hemostatic potential of the blood. Follow a low-cholesterol diet and a healthy lifestyle, often spend time in the fresh air and exercise. During flights, trips and forced long periods of standing, use compression stockings and tights. All these measures will help prevent the development of thrombosis, and will also protect you from unwanted health problems.

A huge number of modern people suffer from disorders of the cardiovascular and hematopoietic systems. The most common pathologies of this type include a tendency to form blood clots, which is explained by the excessive thickness of the blood, an increase in its ability to clot, and a number of additional factors, including vascular atherosclerosis, etc. Blood clots pose a serious threat to human life and health, because if they come off, then you need to act very quickly. Our topic now is “A blood clot has broken off - symptoms, causes. Is it possible to save a person?

Causes, symptoms

A person has a blood clot - what are the reasons for this?

In order to understand why a blood clot breaks off and how such a disorder manifests itself, it is necessary to understand a little about the features of this process.

Where does a blood clot come from in a person's blood?

So, a thrombus is essentially a blood clot (blood particles stuck together). It can be located in the cavity of the heart or in the lumen of any blood vessel. When naming the reasons why a blood clot is formed, we can name the impaired function of blood clotting in case of damage (pathological change) to the vessel wall or in the presence of an atherosclerotic plaque. The resulting blood clot often does not completely block the vascular lumen and does not particularly impede blood flow; it is simply waiting in the wings. But under a combination of circumstances, the flow of blood leads to the detachment of a blood clot from the vascular wall, after which it can move a fairly significant distance and even divide into several parts. If the clot gets into certain organs, it can be fatal. A detached blood clot leads to blockage of the vessel and causes a number of disorders, the type of which depends on the affected area.

Symptoms

If a blood clot breaks loose, a person's symptoms indicating this depend on which vessel it is blocking. If an artery is damaged, the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the organ that receives life support from this vessel is quickly disrupted. Initially, ischemia occurs, then necrotic changes develop.

Damage to the vein occurs much less frequently. In this case, stagnation occurs in the affected area, pathogenic microorganisms actively multiply, inflammatory tissue damage can develop, and then sepsis.

Classic symptoms of a blood clot rupture include severe pain in the affected area and may turn blue. In some cases, patients may experience fever and chills.

When veins located close to the surface are blocked, the detached blood clot can be seen visually: the limb turns sharply red and heat emanates from the skin.

One of the worst variants of this pathology is blockage of the pulmonary arteries, in other words, pulmonary embolism. With such a lesion, there is an immediate cessation of blood flow in the pulmonary arteries. With pulmonary embolism, the patient is worried about a sharp increase in breathing, shortness of breath, pain in the chest, and rapid heartbeat. Cold sweat appears and a cough develops, dizziness, noticeable pallor and cyanosis are possible, and sometimes cramps in the limbs appear. Is it possible to somehow help a person with such symptoms? Yes, if you urgently take him “by ambulance” to a medical facility. However, in a third of cases, having such symptoms, it is not possible to save a person and the incident becomes the cause of his certain death. Is it possible to prevent such symptoms? The question is, of course, a good one, but I won’t answer it at this point in the article.

If the heart arteries are damaged, a heart attack develops. In this case, the patient is bothered by a sharp pain in the chest area, which lasts several minutes or is constantly repeated. There is also difficulty breathing, dizziness, severe weakness, nausea, cold sweat, and pallor.

With a stroke - damage to the blood vessels of the brain - severe headache occurs, gait, coordination of movements, coherent speech and writing are impaired.

When the intestinal vessels are damaged, a detached blood clot also causes pain in the abdominal area. Possible gastrointestinal obstruction. And blockage of an artery in an arm or leg also causes pain, leads to cooling of the limb, and then to tissue necrosis.

If a detached blood clot leads to damage to the portal vein, the patient is bothered by pain in the abdomen and cirrhosis develops.
And blockage of the veins that carry blood from the brain causes neck pain, headaches and visual impairment.

The clot has come off - can a person be controlled?

If an artery is blocked, the patient needs immediate medical attention. When a blood clot has broken off, it can be saved by the prompt use of medications to dissolve the clot and restore normal blood flow.

Even pulmonary embolism may not be fatal with immediate first aid. To remove the obstacle to normal blood flow, urgent lysis is performed - the clot is dissolved. Afterwards, doctors work to restore the functions that were disrupted by the blockage.

When a vein is blocked, a detached blood clot most often does not pose any threat to life, at least at a specific moment. However, patients need proper treatment.

Is it possible to somehow remove a blood clot from a person? Yes, doctors can remove a clot from a vein cavity through surgery, restoring full blood flow. Sometimes specialists install a special filter on the vein just above the blood clot, which prevents the blood clot from moving further.

Doctors say that it is much easier to prevent the formation of blood clots than to treat them. Therefore, if you are prone to thrombosis, you need to take measures to prevent the formation of blood clots in the lumens of blood vessels.

Quite often you can hear that the cause of a person’s death was a detached blood clot. Let's try to figure out what the phrase “a blood clot has come off” means and why this phenomenon is so dangerous.

Causes of blood clots

A thrombus is a blood clot that forms in the blood vessels or cavity of the heart. Most often, blood clots form due to damage to the vessel lining, slow circulation and increased blood clotting. In most cases, thrombosis affects the deep veins of the lower extremities.

Also, the formation of blood clots can be a complication after surgery if the patient remains immobile for a long time.

Reasons why a blood clot breaks off

It is impossible to say why blood clots break off at one time or another, but this requires two basic conditions:

Free and fairly fast blood flow. The speed must be sufficient to dislodge the clot.
Free location of the thrombus inside the vessel. Such blood clots most often form in the veins of the legs and heart cavity.

Blood clots that form in small vessels and completely block them, in most cases do not pose a threat to life, since there is no blood flow that can dislodge them from the place of formation. But blood clots that form in large veins or arteries can break off and begin to migrate through the circulatory system, causing blockage of large vessels, pulmonary thromboembolism, stroke or heart attack, and often cause death.

Blood clots are distinguished depending on their size and position:

Parietal. It forms on the wall of the vessel, but does not completely block the blood flow.
Occlusive- completely blocking the vessel and preventing blood flow.
Floating- when a blood clot is attached to the wall of a vessel on a thin stalk. Such a blood clot can break off very easily, and most often it is the cause of blockage of the pulmonary artery.
Wandering- a detached blood clot that moves freely through the bloodstream.

Symptoms of a detached blood clot

Signs of a blood clot rupture can vary greatly and depend on which particular vessel was damaged.

If a blood clot breaks loose in the head

If an artery in the brain is damaged, a blood clot can break off and cause a stroke. In this case, there may be a violation of facial symmetry, problems with speech, and swallowing food. Also, depending on how serious the damage is, impaired sensitivity, motor activity, and paralysis are possible. When a vein supplying blood to the brain is blocked, neck pain, headaches, and blurred vision are observed.

Damage to the coronary arteries

Myocardial infarction develops, acute pain behind the sternum of a pressing, squeezing, burning nature is observed, which can radiate to the limbs. The prognosis in such a situation is usually unfavorable.

Blood clot rupture in the intestines

When the intestinal vessels are blocked, abdominal pain occurs, and subsequently peritonitis and intestinal necrosis.

Thrombosis of the arteries of the arm or leg

The phenomenon occurs when a blood clot breaks off and blocks the blood flow in the limb. As a result, the blood flow stops, at first the limb becomes paler and colder than in a normal state, tissue necrosis and gangrene subsequently develop. The process is not immediate, so limb thrombosis can, in principle, be treated with surgical methods. When the veins of the extremities (usually the legs) become blocked, they become red, swollen and very painful.

Pulmonary embolism

Occurs when a broken blood clot, usually from the veins of the lower extremities, reaches the lungs and blocks the lumen of the pulmonary artery, as a result of which the body's oxygen supply is cut off. Such a lesion usually occurs suddenly, without any preliminary symptoms, and in most cases ends in death.

How does a blood clot form and what to do if the blood clot comes off - what the consequences may be

Many people have probably come across the concepts of “thrombus” and “thrombosis” at least once in their lives, but not everyone has a correct idea about this phenomenon.

A thrombus is pathological blood clot in a living organism. which is located in the cavity of the heart or the lumen of a blood vessel.

Occurs due to impaired blood clotting function. For a blood clot to appear, the vessel wall must be damaged from the inside or have an atherosclerotic plaque.

In the initial stages, the blood clot does not show any physiological signs, but untimely detection can lead to death.

Primary thrombus represents fibrin threads that are deposited on the altered vessel wall. Then thrombotic masses are applied to it, the clot grows. Upon reaching a critical size, the clot breaks off and blood flow stops.

Causes of blood clots

There are three main reasons why a blood clot forms and in many cases comes off:

Damage to the vessel wall(mechanical trauma, inflammatory processes, damage to the inner wall by bacteria, toxins, viruses);
Improper functioning of blood clotting function(activation of coagulants and provoking platelet aggregation - joining to each other). This process is mainly associated with congenital abnormalities in the development of platelets, although sometimes changes occur at the chemical level (after exposure to bacterial, viral cells, taking certain medications);
Slowing blood circulation(associated with compression of arteries and veins, varicose veins, increased blood density).

Blood clots can form in any part of the circulatory system - in veins, arteries and even in the heart. The above reasons are applicable in every case.

However, there are also specific factors that affect only a certain part of the circulatory system.

Causes of blood clots in arteries

The main factor in the formation of a blood clot in the arteries is obliterating atherosclerosis.

Cholesterol and lipids (fats) are deposited in the inner lining of the artery.

Around these accumulations, the lining vessel begins to be replaced (gradually) by connective tissue, which then forms an atherosclerotic plaque. The plaque is perceived by the body as a defect that needs to be “removed.”

Clots of fibrin and platelets are deposited on its surface, gradually forming a blood clot - at first fragile and soft, over time it becomes denser.

This process occurs in most people, but at different rates.

Blood clot in veins

Cholesterol cannot be detected on the walls of veins, since this substance enters the arterial blood. Venous thrombi form due to specific damage to the vessel wall: thrombophlebitis and phlebothrombosis.

Thrombophlebitis is the occurrence of a blood clot in an inflamed area of a vessel (inflammation can be caused by infection, chemical agents, venous valve defects, varicose veins...).

Phlebothrombosis - a blood clot forms without symptoms of inflammation.

If the heart is affected

The main factor is slowing blood flow. This is possible, for example, after a myocardial infarction (part of the heart tissue dies and is replaced by connective tissue). Often blood clots form after heart surgery (for example, valve installation).

If a blood clot breaks off in the heart, it almost always means death.

Who is most susceptible to education?

At risk includes:

Also at risk are people with certain diseases:

atherosclerosis;
varicose veins, heart diseases;
diabetes mellitus;
thrombophilia (“over-clotting” of blood);
obliterating endarteritis (chronic inflammation of the artery wall);
acute rheumatic fever (which affects the heart valve);
atrial fibrillation.

Classification of formations

Depending on location in vessel:

parietal (one end is attached to the wall, blood flow is maintained);
extended (parietal type, but quite long);
lining (lining almost the entire wall of the vessel, a small lumen is sufficient for blood flow);
central (located, respectively, in the center, attached to the walls with cords, blood flow is limited);
clogging (clogs the lumen in the vessel completely).

Depending on formation mechanism:

agglutination, white: formed from leukocytes, agglutinated platelets, fibrin threads. Forms slowly, in arteries with fast blood flow;
coagulation, red: formed during hyperfunction of blood coagulation (a fibrin network captures red blood cells), localized in the veins;
mixed type (mucous structure, formed by alternating processes of adhesion (sticking together) and agglutination (precipitation) of platelets);

hyaline (consists of plasma proteins, platelets, hemolyzed erythrocytes).

Blood clots can also be divided into groups, depending on their locations:

venous (in deep and superficial veins);
arterial (in deep and superficial arteries);
wandering (a clot that has broken off from the vessel wall and moves through the bloodstream).
blood clots in the vessels of the microcirculatory system.

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Symptoms that should alert you

The visible signs will depend on the location of the clot.

50% of people who have deep vein thrombosis experience no symptoms.

However, the other half of the victims faced certain sensations:

If a blood clot located in a deep vein. fever, chills, local pain and blueness, heat in the area where the blood clot is located.
If a blood clot formed in the superficial vein. it can be felt, the vein will be compacted to the touch, painful touch to the affected area. The body part will be swollen, hot, and red.
Thrombus in the leg. cramps in the calf muscle, pain, swelling of the ankle, swelling that disappears in the morning. One of the later symptoms is brown skin color.
If the vein is inflamed and it contains a blood clot: high temperature, pain in the affected area, redness, swelling. The next stage is when the skin becomes covered with bluish spots and peels off.
Thrombus in my head. impaired speech, coordination, paralysis of limbs, facial asymmetry, difficulty swallowing food. If a blood clot breaks loose in the head, it’s a stroke.
Thrombus in the intestinal vessels. manifests itself, after a certain time, with the disease “peritonitis” (abdominal pain radiating to the shoulder or collarbone, vomiting, stool retention).
If the blood clot comes off in the heart myocardial infarction occurs.
Vein that carries blood from the brain. neck pain, headache, vision problems.
Thrombus in the lungs. an extremely dangerous disease. If a blood clot breaks loose in the lungs, the person suffocates and turns blue. Then he stops breathing. And usually no symptoms appear until the dying state.

Why does the separation occur?

The photo shows the process if a blood clot breaks loose in the heart

To give an unambiguous answer to the question of why a blood clot breaks off, it is necessary to study a considerable amount of not always unambiguous medical literature.

But in general, the process can be described quite simply.

A blood clot forms in the body, waiting “in the wings.”

Why does a blood clot break off? person:

it does not completely block the lumen of the vessel;
the blood flow is fast enough (to tear the clot away from the wall).

Consequently, in most cases, the clot breaks away from the artery wall.

At a certain point, a blood clot can break away from the vessel wall and travel throughout the body. If it gets into certain organs, it can be fatal.

Symptoms that appear when a blood clot breaks off determined by the affected area.

If damaged artery. There is a lack of oxygen and nutrients (the organ that is supplied from this artery). First, ischemia occurs, followed by necrosis of the corresponding organ.

Less commonly, blood clot comes off in a vein. Symptoms are also determined by the affected area (stagnation, proliferation of microorganisms, tissue inflammation, sepsis occur in that area).

Pulmonary embolism - fatal wandering thrombus

One of the most “unfortunate” places for a blood clot is, perhaps, the lungs.

Pulmonary embolism – this is an immediate cessation of blood flow in the pulmonary arteries due to blockage by a blood clot.

PE is often the result of complications in the postpartum and postoperative period.

If a blood clot breaks off in the lungs, this is in a third of cases certain death in the first minutes.

More than half of patients die 2 hours after a blood clot appears in the arteries of the lung.

Most often, PE is provoked by blood clots that come from the deep veins of the lower extremities.

PE manifests itself through rapid breathing, shortness of breath, improvement in the lying position, chest pain, rapid heartbeat, cold sweat, cough, dizziness, cramps in the limbs, pallor, “blueness.”

Diagnostics

Timely detection of a blood clot is an opportunity to avoid surgery and even save your life.

Do not wait for the signs described above (in the “Symptoms” section)! This is already an advanced stage of the disease.

If you are at risk for thrombosis, it is better to periodically diagnose your clotting condition. blood functions:

thromboelastography;
thrombin generation test;
active partial thromboplastin time;
thrombodynamics;
prothrombin time test.

Treatment of various forms of thrombosis

The first step towards a cure is timely identification of the problem.

Thrombosis is treated exclusively under the supervision of a doctor, in a hospital setting.

For diagnosis, you need to consult a phlebologist or cardiologist.

He will evaluate the blood clot, the possibility of its rupture, formulate a diagnosis, and select a treatment method.

There are such cure ways:

medication (anticoagulants that reduce blood clotting, nicotinic acid, statins);
introduction into the vessel of a substance that dissolves the blood clot;
surgically (for severe forms of thrombosis);
installation of vena cava filters in a vein (applicable for unilateral blood clots, which more often break off);
accompanying procedures (physical therapy, massage);
low cholesterol diet.

The type of treatment will primarily depend on the type of blood clot and its size.

Also, the method of treatment is selected depending on the affected area.

In more difficult-to-reach areas (deep veins, heart, lungs), a drug that dissolves the blood clot is injected.

Surgical intervention is used when the patient’s condition is extremely serious.

Preventing clot formation

Compliance proper diet– minimum cholesterol (margarine, fatty, “rich” soups), more foods that reduce blood clotting (green tea, cherries, tuna, broccoli, spinach, citrus fruits, lingonberries).
Taking aspirin reduces blood clotting (usually, cardiologists prescribe it after 40 years). However, do not prescribe it to yourself!
Minimum 30 minutes a day physical activity(cardio training). Thus, you accelerate blood circulation, strengthen the heart muscle, and reduce blood clotting.
Apply special jersey (compression) during trips and flights.

If a blood clot breaks loose in the heart, lungs or leg, the consequences can be very dire and following simple recommendations and regular visits to the doctor can save a life!

Education, treatment, causes, prevention of blood clots

Probably every person has heard about blood clots and thrombosis, but not everyone understands how dangerous this can be. It is the blood clot that is responsible for the development of such fatal diseases as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke. Also, due to the formation of blood clots, gangrene can develop, and if it comes off, pulmonary embolism can occur.

Thrombus, what is a thrombus

Very often in the media you can hear that it was a blood clot that caused the death of one or another popular artist or director. At first glance, there is nothing scary about this word, but many people wonder why it could be dangerous. So what is a blood clot? Thrombus represents blood clot. which forms in a blood vessel or cavity of the heart. It consists of proteins, mainly fibrin, and can be parietal or occlusive, i.e. completely closing the lumen of the vessel. Occlusion thrombi often form in small vessels, while parietal thrombi form in large veins of the lower extremities and the cavity of the heart.

What causes blood clots?

Blood clot formation – body's defense reaction. aimed at stopping bleeding. Everyone knows that with small cuts, the blood stops quite quickly, and this happens due to the closure of damaged capillaries with small blood clots. If the thrombus formation process is disrupted, life may be threatened. For example, the death of Tsarevich Alexei, who had hemophilia. Blood clots did not form in his body, so a small wound turned out to be fatal for him. But the opposite situation, in which the formation of blood clots increases, can become fatal. There are three main reasons what causes blood clots in vessels:

Changes in the vascular wall;
Increased blood viscosity;
Disturbed blood flow.

TO changes in the vascular wall most often results from atherosclerosis. With poor diet, excess cholesterol forms plaque in the arteries. Under the influence of various factors, calcium is deposited in these fatty growths. That is, soft and elastic vessels turn into fragile and ulcerated. Since the main function of blood clots is to close wounds, they love to form in these damaged areas.

In some diseases (oncological, autoimmune), genetic defects of the coagulation system, as well as dehydration, increased blood viscosity. The intravascular fluid becomes more viscous, what causes blood clots .

Slow blood flow through the veins as a result of a sedentary lifestyle, as well as turbulent blood flow (at the branches of blood vessels with high blood pressure), can contribute to thrombus formation.

It should be remembered that thrombophilia can be a side effect of some medications, such as oral contraceptives. Therefore, self-prescription of medications may be exactly what you need. what causes blood clots .

Blood clot symptoms

Symptoms of a blood clot will vary depending on the type of vessel in which it formed.

Arterial thrombosis leads to development

myocardial infarction,
stroke,
gangrene of the limbs,
intestinal necrosis.

Characteristic manifestations arterial thrombosis depending on the organ affected are

pain in the heart area during a heart attack,
neurological disorders due to stroke,
pain, numbness, coldness and discoloration of the limb, as well as
intestinal obstruction and abdominal pain.

Diseases with venous thrombosis also vary depending on location:

thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities,
hepatic portal vein thrombosis,
thrombosis of the jugular vein and cerebral venous sinus.

Symptoms venous thrombosis are:

Swelling, pain, redness of the affected area of the leg;
Abdominal pain, manifestations of pancreatitis, liver cirrhosis;
Neck pain, blurred vision.

Vein thrombosis is also dangerous because microorganisms quickly multiply in them, which leads to inflammation first of the surrounding tissues, and then of the entire body (sepsis).

Therefore, when thrombus symptoms may be different, but always very serious.

Why does a blood clot break off and why is it dangerous?

The movement of a blood clot within the cardiovascular system is possible with the blood flow.

For this it is necessary two basic conditions .

The thrombus must be non-occlusive, i.e. freely placed inside the vessel. Typically, such blood clots form in the veins of the legs and heart cavity.
The blood speed must be sufficient to break off the clot.

The danger of migrating blood clots is that they can travel considerable distances, fragment and lead to blockage of a large number of vessels.

The most common example of a blood clot rupturing is pulmonary embolism from the veins of the lower extremities. It would seem that not the most serious disease (varicose veins and thrombophlebitis) can lead to sudden death.

Nobody can tell why does a blood clot break off? exactly at the moment when you least expect it. For example, a patient is already recovering after surgery and is preparing for discharge. He gets up and begins to pack his things, but suddenly begins to choke and loses consciousness. This is usually how pulmonary embolism develops. In this regard, timely prevention and effective treatment of blood clots are urgently needed.

Prevention of blood clots

The principles of blood clot prevention are:

Healthy eating;
Active lifestyle;
Maintaining normal blood viscosity.

Principle healthy eating is mainly aimed at reducing blood cholesterol levels. To do this, it is necessary to limit the intake of animal fats and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables, as well as fish and herbs in the diet. These simple rules blood clot prevention will keep the vessels elastic for many years. In addition, there are foods that reduce blood clotting. These include cherries, green tea, and beets.

Not only to prevent the formation of blood clots, but also to keep the body in good shape, you need to devote at least 30 minutes every day physical exercise. What kind of load this will be, everyone chooses for themselves. But walking in the fresh air is much healthier than working out in a stuffy gym.

It is also necessary to remember that the risk of blood clots in the veins of the legs increases sharply with prolonged stay in a forced position (for example, on an airplane) and during bed rest (for example, after surgery). For blood clot prevention in these cases, it is necessary to get up and walk around as often as possible. In patients in the postoperative period, the use of elastic leg bandaging is justified.

For maintaining normal viscosity blood, your doctor may recommend taking Aspirin or Warfarin. They affect different stages of blood clot formation and have their own strict indications and contraindications. Taking these drugs without a doctor's prescription can be dangerous.

Treatment of blood clots

Treatment for blood clots primarily depends on where the blood clot is located.

At arterial thrombosis it is necessary to restore blood flow in the affected vessel as quickly as possible. If the catastrophe happened in the brain, then the doctor will treatment of blood clots no more than 2-3 hours, if the heart is no more than 6 hours. The tissues of the limbs and intestines were the most resistant to malnutrition. There are two main ways to eliminate a blood clot.

1. Surgical method. which includes

shunting,
stenting and
mechanical removal of a blood clot.

At bypass surgery the surgeon creates an additional blood supply route that bypasses the affected vessel. This is an open operation and is performed under general anesthesia. A more modern troubleshooting method is stenting. This method involves placing a stent (a hollow cylinder similar to a spring) in the area of narrowing of the vessel. It is performed through a puncture in the artery and does not require anesthesia. Before stenting, the clot is sometimes removed by suction with a special syringe.

2.Therapeutic method

It consists of dissolving a blood clot using special medications (thrombolytics) administered intravenously.

Slightly different treatment tactics for venous thrombosis. Here everything is determined by how high the danger of its separation from the wall of the vessel is.

At floating blood clots(freely moving in the lumen of the vessel), the vein is ligated or a special trap for blood clots is installed - a vena cava filter. To stabilize a blood clot, heparin or its analogues (fraxiparine, clexane) can be used.

At complete closure the lumen of the vein, you can use medications that will destroy the blood clot and, in some cases, lead to the restoration of blood flow through the damaged vessel. These include heparin and warfarin. In rare cases, for blood clot treatment They use surgical removal from the vein.

The formation of blood clots is like a medal that has two sides. On the one hand, this protects the body from bleeding, on the other, it can lead to sudden death. Therefore, it is very important to know the main symptoms of thrombosis in order to get medical help in time. Preventive measures are also important, consisting mainly of a healthy diet and moderate physical activity. Don’t forget about the risk of blood clots during forced physical inactivity (on an airplane or after surgery). In this case, elastic leg bandaging or the use of compression stockings is justified.

7 comments

Elena Viktorovna

I have repeatedly come across a story about the effect of beets on blood clots. After I heard it for the first time, I began to regularly make vegetable salads with the addition of beets, and of course the classic vinaigrette.

I recently went to a routine medical examination and took blood tests. The doctor said that the test was good, which means beets work as a blood clot prevention!

Proper food is very important to cleanse the body. I think everyone already knows that prevention is much better than cure. And sports or just exercise are very important for our lives and all processes occurring in our body.

People, do what they tell you. Not long ago, a 20-year-old friend of mine passed away because of what some people think is a comic disease.

This is terrible... my husband was only 38 years old when they called us from work and said that he had died, a blood clot had broken off... I couldn’t believe it, because he was a healthy, cheerful person, and in one second he was gone ....what kind of disease is this that doesn’t make itself felt? he never complained about anything....I still can’t believe it...

People. eat sea fish. seaweed. beets. fresh onions, apples. every day and everything will be ok. no strokes, no heart attacks, no thrombosis

A friend miraculously survived the other day. Rescued. It's good that the correct diagnosis was made. Blood clots are an insidious and unexpected death. Get tested, control cholesterol, sports and walks are required, and of course nutrition. Good health to everyone.

I read everything about blood clots that is accessible and understandable. Now I will reconsider my attitude towards health and will follow the recommendations for the prevention of thrombosis. Thank you.

Death from a blood clot can occur instantly if first aid is not provided to the victim. Just a few minutes are given to avoid this dangerous incident. If a blood clot breaks loose, death is inevitable.

What is a blood clot in humans and how does it form?

Due to increased blood clotting, there is a high probability of a blood clot forming in any part of the human body. According to medical science, the appearance of clots is called hypercoagulation. As a result, thrombophlebitis and thrombosis develop. These diseases are closely related to each other. First, thrombosis appears due to the regular formation of a blood clot in a vessel, since the anticoagulant system (maintains the blood in a liquid state) cannot cope with the regular appearance of blood clots. Thrombophlebitis is a consequence of thrombosis - inflammation of the vessel walls at the site of blockage.

The early stages of these diseases are not dangerous if you consult a doctor in a timely manner, but if you start the disease every day, new blood elements will be added to the resulting plug, increasing it. The detachment of a blood clot occurs when a critical mass is reached; a severed clot in 80% of cases will lead to instant death.

Types of blood clots in relation to the lumen of blood vessels:

White - consists of leukocytes, platelets, fibrin - found in arteries
Red - consists of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and fibrins - located in the veins.
Hyaline - consist of plasma proteins, fibrin, platelets - appear in small vessels
Layered - contain fibrin, erythrocytes, leukocytes - localized in the aorta, heart, arteries

Causes

We have already looked at how it is formed. Now we will find out the reasons why blockage of blood vessels appears.

Staying in a stationary position for a long time provokes thickening of the blood and subsequent blockage. Mechanical damage to blood vessels most often occurs during inflammatory processes caused by viruses and toxins. It is possible that poor blood clotting is congenital and is inherited. When taking estrogen-containing drugs, prolonged exposure to a viral infection.

Important! The most important reason is low mobility, which is precisely why varicose veins occur, which later develops into thrombosis. Why do tumor diseases, diabetes mellitus and heart pathology affect blood clotting? Because they are directly related to the thickening of blood in the body.

The risk groups for blood clots are headed by men over 40 years of age. Why are there no women here, because they have monthly blood renewal before menopause. The second group most susceptible to vascular blockage is those who are obese. As you know, cholesterol remains on the walls of blood vessels, thereby narrowing them. As for alcohol, the following can be noted: with regular excessive consumption it leads to clumping of the masses, but in small quantities, alcohol-containing drinks, on the contrary, slightly thin the blood.

Smokers, people with limited mobility and pregnant women are also susceptible to the appearance of a blood clot. Provoking diseases also include atrial fibrillation, an acute form of rheumatic fever and obliterating endarteritis.

Why did the blood clot come off? What is it and what will happen?

There are two main reasons for the detachment of a blood clot:

Fast blood flow
There is a gap in the vessel and the blood clot does not completely block it

All thromboses are subject to conservative therapy only for the first 3 days. Because only at this time the thrombus is fixed to the wall of the vein while it is loose. Starting from 4-5 days, it thickens, and when it contracts, the liquid that was contained in it begins to come out and, like a lubricant, can be torn away from the vein. The clot can then become free-floating. It can be carried by the bloodstream to any area of the human body. If it gets into the brain, there will be an ischemic stroke; if it gets into the heart, there will be a myocardial infarction. And as we know, these consequences will be fatal. Death from a blood clot is instant!

How to understand that a blood clot has broken off

Depending on the location, the symptoms of a severed blood clot will be different; let’s briefly consider them:

In the head - speech impairment, swallowing, facial asymmetry;
Heart (in the coronary artery) - pressing and sharp painful sensations in the chest. Sometimes pain can radiate to the lower jaw, abdomen, neck, arms and interscapular area.
Intestines - causes peritonitis and severe abdominal pain
Legs - blue extremities, decreased temperature in the injured leg, redness, swelling and severe pain.
Lungs - oxygen starvation, bluish skin, prolonged shortness of breath, stoppage of heartbeat and breathing

Diagnostics

Timely detection of a blood clot is an opportunity to avoid surgery and even save your life. If you are at risk of thrombosis, it is better to periodically diagnose the state of blood coagulation function:

thromboelastography;
thrombin generation test;
active partial thromboplastin time;
thrombodynamics;
prothrombin time test.

Prevention

To avoid the formation of blood clots and their separation, it is necessary to follow preventive measures. This is especially necessary if a person is at risk. Preventive measures include:

To prevent a blood clot from appearing, just follow these simple rules:

Follow your diet and nutrition regimen. Limit your intake of foods containing cholesterol. Reduce all fatty foods in your diet. Eat citrus fruits, broccoli, cherries, drink green tea.
Take anticoagulants, such as Aspirin. It reduces blood clotting. However, it can only be taken as prescribed by a doctor.
Increase physical activity on the body - running is the best solution. This sport strengthens the heart and blood circulation.
On long trips, use compression garments.

First aid

Having identified suspected symptoms immediately:

Put the patient to bed.
Call an ambulance (cardiology team).
Place a cold bandage or compress on the affected area.

Do not heat the sore spot under any circumstances. Give the patient analgesics and antispasmodics to relieve pain.

Death from a blood clot occurs within minutes. A blood clot blocks an artery and dooms vital organs to death. Blood clots can form in any part of the body, but most often the place of origin of clogs is the lower extremities. It is the vessels of the legs that have to make the most effort to overcome the force of gravity and ensure normal blood flow. Disturbances in the circulatory system become the main causes of thrombosis and death from blood clot rupture.

The nature of the thrombus

The blood contains very useful cells for the body - platelets. Without their participation, the slightest scratch or cut would result in bleeding and inevitable death for a person. Platelets are responsible for blood clotting and, in case of damage to the vessel wall, “seal” the wound with active substances released during injury. After performing its important function and restoring the integrity of the destroyed layer, the blood clot dissolves. When the process does not go according to plan, the clot continues to increase in size due to the attraction of other blood cells and adheres tightly to the wall of the vessel.

Death from a blood clot threatens a person’s life if the formed clot breaks away from its home and goes on a free floatation. The most serious danger is posed by large blood clots, which with their mass can block the lumen of even large vessels. Small emboli with the help of the bloodstream easily move throughout the body, when their final destination becomes the arteries that supply the heart, brain or lungs, the organ is doomed to oxygen starvation and dies. Hypoxia can also damage the kidneys, intestines, and stomach.

Factors that provoke the formation of blood clots

The risk group for blood clots includes women after menopause and men over 40 years of age. The following factors contribute to the launch of the pathological process:

increased platelet content in the blood, which provokes the development of hypercoagulation - a high degree of blood clotting, the body does not have time to cope with a large number of sticky cells, which gradually accumulate and increase in size;

mechanical injuries to the walls of blood vessels, both external - a fall, an impact, and internal - damage to the structure of the wall due to inflammation, rupture, narrowing, surgical manipulations;

blood stagnation due to a person’s prolonged stay in an immobile state, which is typical for bedridden patients and for those who, due to their occupation and profession, have to be in a sitting or standing position most of the time;

infectious and chronic pathologies: diabetes mellitus, hypertension, atherosclerosis, varicose veins, cardiac arrhythmia, malignant tumors;

Important! Thrombosis and death from blood clot rupture can be a consequence of regular use of contraceptives and other medications that increase the level of estrogen in the blood. An excess of this female hormone makes the blood viscous and thick, which is a favorable environment for the appearance of blood clots.

What causes a blood clot to break off and what are the consequences?

The resulting blood clot initially appears as a loose mass, but over time it grows, thickens, and its separation from the vein or artery becomes inevitable. The thrombus leaves its home when there is a gap in the cavity of the vessel in which it is fixed. Blood, moving at high speed, breaks off the clot and sends it to “travel” throughout the body over long distances.

Freely moving clots can partially or completely block blood flow. Signs of death from a blood clot depend on which area of the human body the plug encounters a bottleneck and clogs the vessel. Most often, a severed blood clot causes instant death if it affects the following organs:

brain - a stroke manifests itself in severe headaches, speech and vision disturbances, loss of motor activity, asymmetry of the facial muscles;
lungs - pulmonary thromboembolism makes itself felt by sudden shortness of breath, a sharp decrease in pressure, bluish skin, convulsions;
intestines - cramping pain in the abdomen, vomiting mixed with bile and blood, rapid heartbeat.

Myocardial infarction occurs when a blood clot breaks loose in the heart and death occurs when the coronary vessels stop delivering blood and nutrients to the heart muscle and it dies. Signs of ischemia that precede death from a blood clot in the heart include discomfort and pressing pain in the chest, radiating to the shoulder blades, neck, arms, abdomen, pallor and fainting in the victim.

The consequences of damage to the blood vessels of the extremities if left untreated are gangrene, tissue necrosis, amputation, disability or death.

Note. The cause of death from a blood clot that has become detached from a vein is stagnant processes that cause inflammation and swelling of surrounding tissues, followed by sepsis. However, embolism more often affects the arteries, where the higher speed of blood movement does not allow the clot to remain in a stationary position for a long time.

Preventive measures against blood clots

Symptoms of death when a blood clot breaks off should be a reason for immediate action in order to avoid irreversible pathological changes in the body. Unfortunately, a large number of deaths shows that it is not always possible to come to a person’s aid in time and avoid tragic consequences; it is almost impossible to take adequate resuscitation actions at home. Within 10 seconds after oxygen starvation, the heart begins to lack nutrition and stops supplying other organs with sufficient volumes of blood.

The introduction of the required dosage of anticoagulants or surgical removal of a blood clot is effective only in the early stages of the disease, when it is not too late to stop the process of necrosis of vital organs.

If the problem is detected in a timely manner, the phlebologist prescribes comprehensive treatment. Prevention is especially important for people who are at risk or have relatives in their family who suffer from varicose veins. If the examination has confirmed a tendency to increased coagulation and the presence of other signs that can provoke death from a blood clot, therapy consists of performing the measures indicated in the table.

Taking medications	To thin the blood and dissolve blood clots: aspirin, heparin, warfarin. Medicines to improve blood circulation, strengthen blood vessels, relieve inflammation, spasms and pain. Vitamin complexes containing vitamin K.
Maintaining a daily routine	Moderate physical activity and exercises, walks, industrial warm-ups. Refusal to wear tight high-heeled shoes every day, visit a bathhouse, sauna or take a hot bath. Running, cycling, and race walking are useful.
Introduction of a special diet into the diet	Preference for foods with low cholesterol and those that reduce blood viscosity: cherries, beets, currants, cranberries. The diet should include salads from fresh vegetables, herbs, seafood, and a sufficient amount of liquid (green tea, fruit juice, water, natural juices).
Physiotherapy and traditional methods	Foot massage, exercise therapy, wearing compression garments for prolonged static positions. Baths, compresses, decoctions using honey and medicinal herbs (chamomile, nettle, mint, white acacia, chestnut fruits, wormwood).

Instant death from a blood clot claims the lives of 80% of people whom modern medicine is unable to help. The insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that a clot formed in the vascular cavity may not declare its existence until the last moment. In order to prevent a dangerous pathology from taking away your health or life, it is necessary to assess the degree of the threat and undergo professional diagnosis, followed by following the instructions of the attending physician.