When a blood vessel is damaged, your body’sblood clottingability prevents too much blood from being lost.
Forming a clot is also the first step in healing the injury.
Sometimes, ablood clotforms when it doesn’t need to and blocks ablood vessel.
© Verywell, 2018
This stops blood from getting to the organs attached to the vessel.
When their blood supply is cut off, the organs get damaged and stop working.
The symptoms of organ damage can be the first clue that someone has a blood clot.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
In some cases, a blood clot can be life-threatening rather than life-saving.
That’s why it’s very important to find out if you have one.
In this article, you will learn about how healthcare providers can diagnose blood clots.
Athrombusis a blood clot that forms in a blood vessel.
Anembolusis a blood clot that travels through a blood vessel and causes a blockage somewhere else in the body.
Blood clots damage tissue because they block blood from flowing through vessels.
When the tissue doesn’t get oxygen and nutrients from blood, it can lead to conditions like astroke.
One of the most common treatments is a pop in of medication called blood thinners.
These medications are good at breaking up clots or keeping them from getting bigger.
However, they also have serious side effects.
People who takeblood thinnersare at risk for bleeding problems.
Recap
The health problems brought on by blood clots depend on where they form.
When the blood supply to an organ is blocked by a clot, it damages the organ.
Blood clots that form in one place can also move through the bloodstream and cause a blockage somewhere else.
The tests can tell if your body’s blood clotting system isn’t working right.
It is possible to have an elevated D-Dimer but not have a blood clot.
Cardiac Biomarkers
Cardiac biomarkershelp diagnose aheart attack.
Blood tests can show if there is abnormal blood clotting activity in the body.
They can also show if the heart has been damaged by a clot.
Imaging Tests
Imaging tests can help spot a blood clot.
Some of the tests can see if there is damage from a blood clot.
There are also tests that can tell whether you are at risk of getting a blood clot.
The ultrasound wand goes over the spot on your body that your provider wants to get a picture of.
V/Q Scan
During aventilation-perfusionscan (V/Q scan), a special dye is injected into the bloodstream.
It makes it easier to see how blood is flowing to and from the lungs.
The test can be used to see if a pulmonary blood vessel is being blocked by an embolus.
CT Scan
Acomputerized tomography (CT)scan is a bang out of X-ray.
It gives provides very detailed pictures of the inside of the body.
For example, a CT scan can help providers see if the brain has been damaged by a stroke.
However, an MRI takes longer than other imaging tests.
If a person is in need of immediate care, a provider might use a CT scan instead.
Imaging tests can help find a blood clot.
They can also show organ damage from a clot.
Procedures
There are also some other tests providers can use to look for blood clots.
These tests use imaging but also have some extra steps.
The dyes are injected into the blood vessel that a provider thinks has a clot in it.
Then, imaging machines are used to take pictures of the vessel.
Providers can also use them to see if a thrombus has formed in the heart.
Having some heart conditions makes clots more likely to show up in certain places.
For example, in people with atrial fibrillation, clots are usually found in the left atrium of theheart.
In people with dilatedcardiomyopathy, the clots appear in the left ventricle.
One example of this pop in of condition is a birth defect calledpatent foramen ovale.
Some tests use dye to “light up” the inside of the body.
The pictures from the scans show how blood is moving through the body.
Summary
A blood clot can be a life-threatening medical condition.
Sometimes, people don’t know they have a blood clot.
However, people often have symptoms because clots damage organs and tissues.
Lab tests and imaging tests can also help providers figure out the kind of clot a person has.
Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.
A Word From Verywell
Your body’s ability to make blood clots can be life-saving.
However, if clots form when they don’t need to, it can be life-threatening.
There are many tests that healthcare providers can use to figure out if you have a blood clot.
Some can also help determine if you are at risk of getting a blood clot.
If you have symptoms that could be from a blood clot, get medical care right away.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes.
The D-dimer blood test can help determine if a blood clot has occurred.
This can be a hint that a blood clot has developed in the blood vessels of the heart.
However, people often have some warning signs.
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