In fact, up to 60 percent of VTE clots strike patients when they are in the hospital or soon after discharge.
Hospitalization, whether admitted for surgery, illness or other medical reasons, is a leading risk factor for VTE.
Patients should understand what a blood clot can look or feel like so they can be their best advocate:
- In the legs: pain/tenderness often starting in the calf; swelling including the ankle or foot; redness, noticeable changes in color and/or warmth in the leg.
- In the lungs: unexplained shortness of breath or rapid breathing; chest pain (sometimes worse upon a deep breath); rapid heart rate; and/or light headedness or passing out.
Listen in as Nigel Key, MD, shares the important information you need to know about staying in the hospital and your VTE risk.
Dr. Nigel Key is the Harold R. Roberts Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Pathology, Chief of the Section of Classical Hematology, and the Director of the UNC Hemophilia and Thrombosis Center. He is also co-Director of the Thrombosis and Hemostasis research program in the McAllister Heart Institute.