Understanding Blood Clots
What is a blood clot?
A blood clot (thrombus) is a clump of sticky blood that has changed from a liquid to a semi-solid state. It's the body's natural response to a wound, to stop you bleeding excessively.
Internal blood clots can have serious consequences. They can slow down blood flow, move towards a vital organ, such as your heart or lungs, and cause more serious conditions, like deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolisms.
Blood clots can happen to anyone, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity or health. They often happen with no obvious signs or symptoms, so if you've been feeling generally unwell and don't know why, it's important to speak to a doctor.
If caught early enough, most blood clots can be treated before they become a serious threat to your health. If your healthcare professional misdiagnoses or fails to spot the signs of a blood clot, you can be left with serious health problems.
What is the difference between a blood clot, DVT and pulmonary embolism?
Blood clots can cause you to become quite unwell. DVT and pulmonary embolisms are two main types of blood clot that can cause very serious health problems.
DVT
DVT is the name for a blood clot that has formed in one of the deep veins of your body, but most often, your leg.
What does a DVT blood clot feel like?
Symptoms of a potential blood clot (DVT) in your leg, may include:
- Pain or tenderness, usually in one leg.
- Red/blue discolouration of the skin.
- Swelling.
- Swollen veins that are hard or sore when you touch them.
- The area is warm to touch.
What causes DVT blood clots?
Some causes of DVT are:
- Surgery, particularly if it is to the abdominal area, hip or leg.
- A long period of bed rest, for example where you've had an extended stay in hospital.
- Sitting down for a long time, e.g. on a long-haul flight.
- Birth control pills or hormone treatments for menopause.
- Varicose veins.
If any of these situations sound familiar, and your medical practitioner has failed to:
- Diagnose DVT;
- Identify the risks; or
- Give you appropriate treatment or medication.
We may be able to help.
Contact our advisors to find out if you're eligible to make a DVT compensation claim.
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolisms happen where part of a DVT clot breaks off and travels to the heart or lungs and gets stuck, blocking blood vessels.
What are the signs and symptoms of a pulmonary embolism?
If you experience a pulmonary embolism, you may experience:
- Breathlessness or sudden shortness of breath.
- A rapid heart rate.
- An unexplained cough, where you may even cough up blood.
- Collapse.
- Stabbing chest pain that may get worse with deep breaths.
If you've suffered a pulmonary embolism because of medical negligence or blood clot/DVT misdiagnosis, you may be able to claim pulmonary embolism compensation. Give our expert personal injury advisors a call on to find out more. There's no pressure to make a claim though - that's entirely your decision.
Long-term impacts of blood clots, DVT and pulmonary embolism
It's important that blood clots are treated quickly, to avoid pieces breaking off. An untreated DVT can result in a pulmonary embolism which can ultimately be fatal. Around 99 in 100,000 people are diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism each year.
Even where your DVT has been treated successfully, you can continue to experience issues. Post-thrombotic syndrome causes rashes, swelling, pain and ulcers, which can leave you unable to manage the day-to-day tasks that you previously took for granted.
If someone else's negligence caused your blood clot, you shouldn't be left out of pocket. Compensation can help with medical treatment, adaptations and past and future loss of earnings.
To discuss making a claim for compensation for a pulmonary embolism, DVT or blood clot, talk to our team of dedicated experts now.
Mr. W's wrist fracture was missed, leading to permanent damage. He was awarded £200,000
In 2004, Mr. W slipped on a kerb and fell onto his outstretched right arm. He went to A&E where his wrist was x-rayed, and was told that he had sprained his wrist. He was told to return to hospital 10 days later, when the x-ray was reviewed and again, no fracture was reported.
Medical Negligence and Blood Clots
What is medical negligence?
Medical negligence essentially means that health professionals have failed in their duty of care to you. This may be due to incorrect or accidental treatment, or substandard care which injures you or worsens your condition. It also covers misdiagnosis where a condition is wrongly identified or missed entirely, causing you harm.
Can I claim for a blood clot that happened during a stay in hospital?
If you were admitted to hospital for an extended period, medical professionals have a duty to check for signs of blood clots and DVTs.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)'s procedures explain that medical checks must be carried out within 24 hours of a patient being hospitalised, such as:
- Testing for DVTs.
- Assessing the increased risk of DVT following surgery.
- Considering age, weight and other risk factors during a patient's risk assessment for DVT.
- Administering anticoagulant medication before, and following, surgery.
- Giving patients compression stockings to reduce the risk of DVT.
If the professionals treating you didn't follow the NICE Guidelines or were otherwise negligent in their duty, you may be able to claim DVT negligence compensation.
If this sounds familiar, and you think you've experienced medical negligence from the hospital treating you, we can help. Give us a call on or request a callback and we can help.
Can I make a medical negligence claim against the NHS?
Some people are concerned that if they make a claim against the NHS, the money will come from the department treating them.
You don't need to worry. NHS Trusts pay an amount to NHS Resolution each year, to cover claims like yours. NHS Resolution deals with all NHS medical negligence claims.
I suffered a DVT after a long-haul flight - can I claim?
If you travel by plane, train or car for more than three hours, it's recommended that you do the following to reduce your chances of getting DVT:
- Drink lots of water.
- Avoid alcohol.
- Walk around as much as possible.
- Wear loose clothing.
Your healthcare provider should check whether there's anything that might have increased your chance of getting DVT. If they don't recognise this risk factor when they're assessing your symptoms, you may be able to make a DVT compensation claim.
It's important that you make your doctor or medical practitioner aware of any recent flight. If they still misdiagnose your DVT, you could claim DVT medical negligence compensation.
Claiming against airlines
It is very difficult to make a claim for DVT compensation against an airline, as the risk of DVT associated with long-haul flights is well-publicised. Most compensation claims against airlines are unsuccessful.
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Can I claim compensation for a blood clot?
Blood clots, DVTs and pulmonary embolisms can be treated if diagnosed appropriately and quickly. However, if they are misdiagnosed or ignored, they can have serious, and even fatal, impacts.
To make a successful blood clot, DVT or pulmonary embolism compensation claim, you'd need to show that your treatment fell below the standard of care that you could have reasonably expected.
How does my solicitor prove a claim?
We work with a panel of expert medical negligence solicitors who have years of experienced in dealing with claims like yours. They'll work with you to gather all the details of your case, to determine whether a compensation claim will be successful.
To establish liability in a medical negligence claim, you must prove that it directly caused you harm or made your condition worse. There are four key areas to consider:
- Duty: Did the person who you hold responsible for your injury owe you a legal duty of care?
- Breach: Did that person breach that duty by acting (or failing to act) in a particular way?
- Causation: Did that person's actions (or absence of them) cause your injuries?
- Damages: Were you injured by their actions or inaction?
What are the time limits for making a blood clot, DVT or pulmonary embolism compensation claim?
Generally, you have three years from the date of the incident or diagnosis to make a personal injury claim (the ‘limitation period'). This means that your claim must be settled, or formal court proceedings must begin within this time, subject to some exceptions:
- If the person affected is under 18, you can claim on their behalf at any point until their 18th birthday. If no claim is made in this time, they can claim as an adult in their own right until their 21st birthday. The claim must either settle, or court proceedings must have been started, before their 21st birthday.
- There is no time limit where someone lacks the capacity to manage their own case. However, if they regain capacity at any point, the three-year time limit begins.
- If you're claiming on behalf of someone who has passed away, the three years starts from the date of their passing or from the date it was discovered that an accident or illness was the cause.
To give your claim the best chance of success, it's advisable to start as soon as possible while the evidence is fresh and easier to collect.
Am I eligible to make a no win no fee blood clot compensation claim?
If you've suffered a blood clot, DVT or pulmonary embolism due to someone else's negligence, you may be eligible to make a no win no fee blood clot or DVT compensation claim, subject to the time limits outlined above.
Can I make a no win no fee medical negligence claim?
At National Accident Helpline, we specialise in ‘no win no fee' agreements. If you're eligible to make a no win no fee compensation claim, there's no financial risk. It's a contract between you and your personal accident injury solicitor, they'll set you up with an no-upfront-cost insurance policy to protect you, which pays for itself if the claim fails.
If you lose, you pay nothing - you're protected as long as you stick to the terms of the agreement. If you win, your costs and your solicitor's success fee are taken from your compensation.
In the rare case that you're not eligible for no win no fee, your personal injury solicitor will explain the options available to you at the beginning, so there's no need to worry that you might end up out of pocket.
If you'd like to find out more, you can request a callback from our team to talk about your case or call us on .
Why Choose National Accident Helpline?
Let us help you get the blood clot compensation you deserve
Blood clots are common, but if they aren't treated quickly, they can lead to more serious conditions such as kidney failure, DVT, pulmonary embolism and, in the worst cases, death, medical negligence and misdiagnosis are common reasons that blood clots go untreated. We can help. Talk to our team today on or request a callback and we'll advise you about your eligibility to claim blood clot compensation.
Our experience with Blood Clot Claims
With over years_since years experience with claims like yours, we've helped over 2 million people across the UK.
We're the UK's leading provider of personal injury advice, with an ‘Excellent' rating on Trustpilot.
Our expert personal injury advisors will take the stress out of making a blood clot claim. Talk to us today to get the blood clot compensation you deserve.
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Whatever the circumstances that led to your blood clot, DVT or pulmonary embolism, we may be able to help you make a compensation claim.
To start your claim, get in touch with us today on . Alternatively, request a callback at a time that suits you. We'll let you know if you're eligible to make a claim, offer free advice and connect you with a specialist no win no fee solicitor if you decide to proceed.