Blood Clots

1. Spider and Varicose Veins Slideshow Pictures
2. Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) Slideshow Pictures

Medical Author:

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Benjamin Wedro, MD, FACEP, FAAEM

Dr. Ben Wedro practices emergency medicine at Gundersen Clinic, a regional trauma center in La Crosse, Wisconsin. His background includes undergraduate and medical studies at the University of Alberta, a Family Practice internship at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario and residency training in Emergency Medicine at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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• Blood Clots Overview
• Blood Clots Causes
• Blood Clots Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Blood Clots Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Medication
• Surgery
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Author and Editor
• Viewer Comments: Blood Clots - Describe Your Experience
• Viewer Comments: Blood Clots - Cause

Blood flows throughout the body in arteries and veins supplying cells with nutrients, which allows them to function and remove waste products from metabolism. When blood vessels are damaged or begin to leak, blood is able to clot to repair the damage and restore integrity to the circulatory system.

The clotting mechanism involves a cascade of numerous factors that ultimately form the clot where it is needed. Initially, when a blood vessel is injured, the lining of the vessel attracts platelets that form an initial plug in the vessel wall. These platelets then release chemicals that activate a series of clotting factors called the clotting cascade. Ultimately, fibrin is formed, the protein that crosslinks with itself to form a mesh that makes up the final blood clot.

Picture of blood clotting

Blood flows through the body in a continuous loop. Blood is pumped through the body by the heart, but that same blood returns back to the heart both by gravity and by muscles in the arms and legs contracting and squeezing, or milking, the blood back to the heart. If blood becomes stagnant, it may clot and cause potential life-threatening conditions.

The medical term for a blood clot is a thrombus (plural: thrombi). An embolus refers to the situation in which the clot breaks and travels in the bloodstream to another location.

There are four potential outcomes regarding a blood clot. It will either

1. grow,
   
   
2. dissolve,
   
   
3. embolize, or
   
   
4. recannulate (a situation in which capillary blood vessels proliferate within the clot to re-establish blood flow)

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