The Facts - What is a Blood Clot?

So,what is a blood clot?

When you damage a blood vessel and it bleeds, e.g. when you cut yourself, your blood clots at the site of the wound to act as a plug and stop you bleeding. ² If the blood starts to clot even when a blood vessel hasn't been damaged, a blood clot can form within a blood vessel.³ When your blood clots inside a blood vessel, it can be dangerous, and could result in disability, or even death.¹ Dangerous blood clots are common in hospitals.¹ This is because, if you aren’t moving around much, your blood flow slows down, which can make these blood clots more likely to form.²

Why can some blood clots be harmful?

Blood clotting that happens inside a blood vessel can block the flow of blood in your body, which can be very dangerous.¹ These blood clots can either block the blood vessel where they have formed, or break off and travel through the blood stream, sometimes blocking other blood vessels in the body.⁴ Depending on where the blood clot is, it can cause problems in different parts of your body, including your lungs or legs, and can even cause death.¹ There are certain factors that can increase your risk of developing a dangerous blood clot, including not being able to move around much, which can happen during a stay in hospital.¹ This is why, in every typical UK hospital, approximately one person dies every other day due to a preventable blood clot.² You’ll be able to find out more about these risk factors in the Are you at risk? section of this website. If you think you, or someone you care about, may be at risk, the doctor may talk about thromboprophylaxis (pronounced throm-bo-pro-fil-ak-sis), which simply means a way of preventing dangerous blood clots.¹ You’ll find out more about this in the Take Action section.

How can you recognise a dangerous blood clot?

Blood clots can sometimes be a hidden danger because they don’t always give a warning that they are happening.³ For this reason, it is sometimes called a ‘silent condition’.³ However, a blood clot often first starts in a leg, and there are some telltale signs that could make one easier to spot. These include swelling, pain, tenderness and redness in the leg,¹ so it’s important to be on the lookout for these signs. If you or your loved one has a blood clot in a lung, it could cause trouble breathing, chest pain, and could lead to collapse.¹ If you or your loved one experiences any of these symptoms, make sure you speak to your ward doctor or nurse immediately, before it’s too late – it can also lead to death.¹ However, don’t forget that some people won’t have any warning signs at all,³ so if you think that you or someone you care about could be at risk, please speak to the ward doctor or nurse as soon as possible. Find out what increases your risk of developing a dangerous blood clot by clicking on Are you at risk?, and find out what to do next by visiting the Take Action section of this website. You can also keep useful information with you by downloading the free information booklet.

How common are dangerous blood clots?

Dangerous blood clots are a lot more common than you might think. A lot of people know about the ones than can happen when you fly, which you may heard referred to as DVT, or deep vein thrombosis.⁴ This is a type of dangerous blood clot, but they don’t just happen when you’re airborne - they can also happen during a stay in hospital.¹ In fact, blood clots in UK hospitals cause more deaths per year than MRSA, AIDS, breast cancer and road traffic accidents combined.^1,5-8 Up to 32,000 people die every year in the UK due to a preventable blood clot whilst in hospital.¹ With the right blood clot information, they could be preventable, which is why it’s essential that you read this website for blood clot facts to keep you informed.

By being aware, you can help stop the clot!

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