What does a blood clot do to someone?

Question

I just found out today my brother is in the hospital with a blood clot. It went from his leg to his lungs. He don't smoke, drugs and only drinks on occasions. What causes blood clots and can they kill someone? I'm really scared and want my brother to be ok can anyone help me please.

Only serious answers I'm tired of idiots answering

Lets see my brother is 25 very fit, he has to be to be in the Navy. He is in a different state than me so I can't ask his doctor.

Answer 1

Well, I am former military and my clots got me medically discharged. These can be serious. He needs to be checked for clotting disorders such as APS, FVL, Lp(a), etc. I do not gather this was a proked clot. Meaning there was an injury to his leg. Was he sitting for a long time in a cramped space?

Hormonal factors are not the only cause of blood clots in the legs. Other causes of DVT include:

Poor circulation caused by conditions such as a recent heart attack or stroke, or other forms of heart disease. (MEPS would have caught something..so probably not)

Varicose veins. (probably not..mostly a woman issue)

Long-term inactivity. (Not since he is in the Navy)

Extended bed rest. (Not since he is in the Navy)

DVT can also occur during a long flight when passengers often have little room to move their legs. This condition is known as 'Economy Class Syndrome.' Certain people are considered most at risk for in-flight DVT; these people include pregnant women, people who are overweight, those whose feet do not touch the floor, older passengers, smokers, and people with coronary artery disease or certain blood conditions. To prevent DVT from occuring during or after an airplane flight, it's recommended that passengers try to get up and walk up and down the aisle at least once an hour.

An injury to a vein can bring on an occurrence of deep vein thrombosis. A vein can be injured in several ways including a blow to the leg, surgery, or radiation treatments for cancer. Such an injury can cause a narrowing or blockage in a vein where it then gathers blood and clots.

Pregnancy increases the risk of DVT developing because of the body's natural tendency to prevent excessive bleeding during childbirth. (Obviously not in his case)

Other potential causes include severe infection, liver disease, and some forms of cancer.

DVTs really can kill. This is what caused the death of Reporter David Bloom. DVT that caused a PE.

I have had since my first DVT, I have found that I am a clotting mess - Lupus, APS, Lp(a) and MTHFR. Life long anticoagulation - no choice.

Hopefully your brother will be fine. I have more information below for you to read.

Answer 2

I am so sorry to hear about your brother. I hope he gets well soon. I also understand that sometimes when talking to doctors, they talk in a language that only another doctor can understand. You are doing the right thing by looking for information, so that you will better understand your brothers condition. I'll do my best to help you.

To answer your first question. What causes blood clots? Blood Clots or Hypercoagulation is caused by proteins in your body that are supposed to keep your blood from clotting too much. some people don't make enough of these proteins. In other people, these proteins aren't doing their job properly. Or a person may have an extra protein in their blood that causes too much clotting. Hypercoagulation has a few other causes, but those causes are rare. Some people are born with a tendency to develop clots. This tendency is inherited (comes from your parents).

Certain situations or risk factors can make it easier for your blood to clot too much. These situations include the following:

Sitting on an airplane or in a car for a long time
Having prolonged bed rest (several days at a time)
Having surgery
Having cancer
Being pregnant
Using birth control pills

Your other question...Can they kill someone? A blood clot becomes harmful when it blocks an artery or vein and stops blood flow. The blood clot is then called a thrombus. Although a thrombus may occur in any blood vessel, it most commonly develops in the veins of the leg and can travel through the major blood vessels of the pelvis and lung where it can be fatal. A thrombus in the leg or pelvic vein is called a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

A thrombus that breaks free and travels through the bloodstream it is called an embolus. As it travels, it compromises blood flow and may become lodged in a smaller blood vessel, causing blockage. For example, if an embolus blocks an artery in the lung, it is called a pulmonary embolism (it sounds like this is what happened to your brother). Your brother is in the BEST place right now, the Hospital for his care.

The doctor will probably pur your brother on Heparin, which is often administered for the first few days of anti-coagulant treatment since warfarin takes several days to begin working. For example, if blood clots are found in the legs or lungs, the patient will typically remain in the hospital for a few days and receive heparin to “thin” the blood. Once the risk of clotting has been decreased with heparin, the patient will stop receiving this drug, and warfarin (pill form) will be prescribed to keep the blood “thin”.

I will pray for your brothers recovery. As with any condition, it is always best to talk with a doctor in addition to doing research. I will provide some websites that might help you understand more about what is happening with your brother right now.

God Bless You!

Answer 3

Blood clots like your brother's can form for a variety of reasons. If anyone sits still for too long, blood can pool in the legs and form a clot. That is why you should get up and walk around on a long airplane or car trip.

Some people are more prone to forming clots because of abnormal clotting factors. This can be detected through blood tests, and I think most of these conditions are hereditary. If your brother turns out to have one of these conditions, you should be tested for it as well. If you have a coagulopathy (blood clotting disease) and know about it ahead of time, you can avoid problems during pregnancy, and might need to avoid using birth control pills (they increase clotting).

Your brother will probably be just fine. He may need to be on blood thinners for a while, or have a device put into his vena cava (large vein returning to the heart) to catch clots if he can't be on blood thinners. His doctors will make that decision, depending on what they find.

Good luck to both of you.

Answer 4

blod clots in the blood vessels has two kinds. the embolus and thrombus.embolus is a moving clot while thrombus is a stationary clot. THis can harm our body because this impairs the normal circulation. In the case of your brother where the blood clot reached his lung, this will affect his respiration which can be very dangerous because we know that respiration or oxygenation is vital in sustaining life. However, with an early intervention, Your brother has a great chance of surviving.
Clots can kill someone especially when they reach our vital organs such as the brain, the lungs and the heart.

Answer 5

a blood clot in the lung is called a pulmonary embolism. depending where his clot was in his leg it can travel to the lung. Did he have recent surgery? Is he pretty much a sedentary guy? Is there a family history of clots? All these things can predispose him to blood clots. A clot in the lung can be serious-it can travel though the blood stream and can be fatal. the fact that he's in the hospital is good-i'm sure they have him on blood thinners-which he might take for the rest of his life to prevent from happening again.

Answer 6

Blood clots are the ones preventing blood from overflowing when you get a scratch. THey travel in the veins, same as blood cells.

In short, they are big masses of cells that are used to cover wounds. They form a scab.

But if something goes wrong with the body, these things can stop bloodflow the same way they can stop blood from flowing out of a wound.

They can killl someone if they clot in the following areas:
Lungs - Hard to breathe
Heart - Chest Pains
Brain - most probably stroke.

Now, if your brother is the couch potato type (and I hope he's not) then that's probably the reason for the clot in the first place; lack of activity.

I've got only one more thing to say to you:

Pray. Pray hard. Invite your family to pray with you if you wish.

And I wish you good luck on this thing, and I hope he gets better.

Answer 7

I am not sure what causes them, but i do know people do have blood disease that causes clots for almost no reason. If the clot goes to the heart it will kill the person So the dangerous of a clot traveling is very serious.

Answer 8

Your brother is suffering from Deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) affects mainly the veins in the lower leg and the thigh. It involves the formation of a clot (thrombus ) in the larger veins of the area. This clot may interfere with circulation, and it may break off and travel through the blood stream (embolize). A resulting embolus can lodge in the brain (Stroke), lungs (Pulmonary embolism), heart (Heart attack), or other area, causing severe damage to that organ.
Please see the webpages for more details on Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pumonary embolism.

Answer 9

yes blood clots can kill you, They restrict blood flows to certain areas of the body which can cause you to go into Cardiac arrest. More then Likely they will give him blood thinners to try to dissolve the clot. Girls who take birthcontrol and smoke are at a really high risk of getting blood clots. Did you know that complications from DVT blood clots kill up to 200,000 people in the U.S. each year?
Deep Vein Thrombosis, or DVT, is a blood clot that can form in your legs and sometimes move to your lungs, where it could be fatal. In fact, complications from DVT blood clots contribute to more deaths each year than AIDS and breast cancer combined. And if you have cancer or certain heart or respiratory diseases, talk to your doctor, because you may be at greater risk.

Answer 10

Yes a blood clot can kill someone. Your brother had what they call a pulmonary embolism it is a good thing he got to the hospital in time. Blood clots can happen to anyone. Jesse the body Ventura had a pulmonary embolism while in the wrestling ring. It almost killed him. It was a good thing it did not hit his heart.