Is it possible to save a person if his blood clot has come off? This is one of the most common questions related to thromboembolism - a dangerous condition fraught with serious complications. The result of a severed blood clot in 80% of cases is fatal. Only a fifth of patients who have a blood clot come off are able to escape. In the article we will try to understand why this happens and how to prevent a fatal disease.
The role of platelets in the coagulation system
In most cases, patients who are lucky enough to survive an episode of thromboembolism have to deal with its unpleasant consequences. Complications are associated with impaired functioning of the cardiovascular and central nervous systems. To understand the mechanism of the development of the disease, first you need to get an idea of what a blood clot is and why it comes off.
In a healthy person, the rheological properties of blood are regulated by a number of factors. One of them is the coagulation system necessary to stop bleeding. It includes various shaped elements, including platelets, proteins and other bioactive substances that are produced by liver cells - hepatocytes. They produce prothrombin, an indispensable synthesized enzyme.
Normally, coagulation processes start at the slightest, even slight damage to a blood vessel, and imply the formation of a cork, a kind of patch for its torn wall. In this case, a blood clot does not form immediately. Its formation will require several stages:
- adhesion - adhesion of a platelet to the vessel wall in the area of its damage;
- aggregation - the formation of a clot (cork) from platelets that have accumulated in a significant amount;
- thrombus dissolution - occurs after restoration of the integrity of the vessel.
What happens with thrombosis and thromboembolism
During the period of adhesion, part of the cells are destroyed and enzymatic substances are released, under the influence of which the blood coagulation system is launched - thin fibrin strands stick to the accumulation of platelets. After platelets perform their task, the thrombus is neutralized. However, in the presence of a number of pathological factors, this does not happen. Moreover, the clot begins to increase in size, as proteins, white blood cells and red blood cells settle on it.
In this case, we are talking about a coagulation system disease called thrombophilia. If this violation of hemostasis is accompanied by the formation of clots in various parts of the circulatory system, the patient is diagnosed with thrombosis. Another name is the problem in which the lumen of the vessel is partially clogged, and after that the thrombus comes off. What it is? This is thromboembolism.
The main causes of thrombophilia
Various functional and genetic abnormalities can increase the risk of a blood clot. In particular, it implies a mutation of genes that occurred during the intrauterine development of the ovum (the first two weeks of pregnancy). Their violation causes a malfunction in the synthesis of blood coagulation.
In most patients, the problem is hereditary. Most often, the disease is diagnosed in patients older than 45 years. The most predisposed to pathology are men. Women suffer from thrombophilia mainly after menopause.
Doctors take every clinical case of thrombosis seriously, so identifying the causes and symptoms and treatment are of particular importance. A blood clot came off? The consequences of the disease are inevitable, but their severity largely depends on the timeliness of the medical care provided.
What triggers the formation of blood clots
The presence of genetic abnormality or heredity does not guarantee the development of the disease by 100%. The development of thrombophilia and thrombosis requires exposure to one of a number of possible factors that adversely affect the coagulation system. These include:
- pregnancy;
- lack of motor activity against immobilization (after injuries, paralysis of the body);
- liver disease
- diabetes;
- arterial hypertension;
- slow blood flow caused by arrhythmia or other problems in the heart;
- varicose veins, aneurysms, thrombophlebitis;
- atherosclerotic vascular disease;
- alcohol abuse, smoking;
- prolonged use of medications that increase blood coagulability (coagulants, hormonal drugs, oral contraceptives);
- open operations on the heart, coronary vessels.
A blood clot came off - what is it?
Clots attached to the venous or arterial wall completely or partially block the lumen of the vessel. With an increased speed of blood flow and an increase in blood pressure, the risk of a blood clot rupture increases several times. Excessive exercise, overstrain, and excitement can lead to negative consequences. Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict whether a blood clot can come off in a particular case.
The most dangerous is complete blockage of the blood vessel. A blood clot becomes an insurmountable barrier to normal circulation, which inevitably leads to the death of a person. If the patient has a blood clot broken off in the leg, this does not mean that he will close the lumen of the artery of the lower limb. A clot can become floating, that is, begin to wander freely around the circulatory system and clog one of the vessels at any time.
Varieties of blood clots
Blood clots can be of various types, depending on the place of their localization. By the way, it is important not to confuse the formation on the walls of blood vessels that cannot come off and do not interfere with blood circulation. Blood clots that block the lumen can be:
- Occlusal - such formations completely block the path of free blood flow.
- Floating - these clots have a thin leg at the base, so they come off easily. Wandering blood clots more often than others cause obstruction of the artery in the lungs.
- Emboli are blood clots that circulate freely with the blood stream.
Effects
If a blood clot comes off (the reasons for this no longer matter), you need to act without slowing down. The patient is threatened by such dangerous violations as:
- Stroke. A disease develops if the clot is too wide for the narrow vessels that feed the brain.
- Heart attack. It occurs against the background of the cessation of blood circulation in the coronary vessels. The death of heart muscle cells occurs due to oxygen starvation.
- Leg vein thrombosis. It is often a complication that develops against the background of varicose veins.
- Pulmonary embolism. The risk of its development is especially high in the presence of a floating blood clot. With blockage of the pulmonary artery, the patient dies instantly.
Regardless of why a person has a blood clot, it is important not to lose a minute if this has already happened. About the rules of first aid and how to recognize the danger, further.
How to understand that a blood clot came off
Symptoms of a detached blood clot in all patients are different and depend on the location of the blockage. If a blood clot closes the lumen of the cerebral vessels, the patient may experience all signs of ischemic stroke, which can be considered an indirect confirmation of thromboembolism. External manifestations of the disease include impaired speech, swallowing, and immobility of one side of the body. With partial blockage of the vessel, signs of a detached thrombus may be a headache, discomfort in the neck, loss of visual acuity.
If a blood clot enters the coronary artery and obstructs the flow of blood, the patient will feel a pressing and acute soreness in the sternum. Sometimes the pain radiates to the chin, internal organs of the abdominal cavity, neck, left arm and the space between the shoulder blades. Patients who have a blood clot come off (the symptoms are almost identical to the pre-infarction condition) urgently need to call an ambulance team.
The most optimistic prognosis is obstruction of the veins of the lower extremities. Thrombosis can be indicated by blueness, lowering the temperature in the damaged limb, swelling and severe pain. Treatment is carried out mainly by surgery. But with pulmonary embolism, in some cases, even emergency resuscitation measures do not help. If a person has a blood clot, the following symptoms are observed:
- blue skin;
- severe oxygen starvation;
- severe shortness of breath;
- respiratory arrest and palpitations.
First Aid Rules
If the patient has signs of a detached blood clot, you must perform the following actions:
- help the victim to take a comfortable horizontal position;
- call a team of specialists;
- attach an ice pack to the allegedly damaged area.
In no case should the place of separation of a platelet clot be warmed. Before the arrival of doctors, the patient can be given painkillers or antispasmodics. By the way, in patients with a confirmed diagnosis of thrombosis, such drugs should always be present in the home medicine cabinet.
It is impossible to help a person who has already had a blood clot and a clogged pulmonary artery at home. The only thing that can be done, knowing the predisposition to thrombophilia, is to follow the rules of prevention and take anticoagulants as prescribed by your doctor.
Drug treatment
With diagnosed thrombosis, appropriate medications are prescribed to the patient. Patients who underwent heart surgery and blood vessels have also been forced to take drugs regularly. The most effective means include:
- Xarelto.
- "Rivaroxaban".
- Elikvis.
- Apixaban.
- Pradaxa.
- "Dabigatran."
In order to strengthen the walls of arteries and veins, experts prescribe such drugs as Ascorutin, Detralex, Venoruton. In complicated cases, to prevent clogging of the vessel with a floating thrombus, a cava filter is installed in its lumen, designed to detain blood clots.
How to prevent a blood clot
Speaking about the prevention of thromboembolism, it would be more correct to start by preventing the formation of blood clots. Precisely to say whether a blood clot in a patient can come off, not a single doctor is able to. In order to prevent the development of serious complications, a person at risk should adhere to a number of conditions, in the first place:
- Refuse cholesterol-enriched foods.
- Cook only steamed or in the oven, completely eliminate fried foods.
- Most often include citrus fruits, broccoli, cherries in the diet, drink green tea - these products are classified as natural anticoagulants.
- If you are prone to thickening of the blood, take anticoagulants, the most popular and inexpensive of which is aspirin. The drug should be agreed with your doctor.
- Lead an active lifestyle, play sports, but avoid excessive physical exertion. This is necessary to thin the blood, strengthen the myocardium, and accelerate blood circulation.
The consequences of a blood clot in the heart and lungs can be the most deplorable, so you need to regularly visit a doctor and not self-medicate.