Blood clots
Published April 16, 2024 | 
( 1999 )
Blood clots
-Can a person have a blood clot somewhere other than in their legs? What are the general symptoms of a blood clot?-
Blood clots can occur in other parts of your body than in your leg veins. It’s fairly common for a harmless clot to form following the administration of intravenous fluids or X-ray dyes into a vein in your arm. Such clots may result from irritation of the wall of the vein caused by the needle or intravenous catheter, or by the injected material. The resulting inflammation usually keeps the clot in place so it does not travel to the lung (pulmonary embolism).
Clots in veins may cause no symptoms, particularly in the larger, deeper veins of the thigh, groin and pelvis. Usually, though, the clot irritates the wall of the vein enough to cause pain. If the involved vein is superficial (close to the surface), there also may be redness along the vein, and at times the clot can be felt as a cord-like firmness under the skin.
Clots also can form in your arteries as a result of damage to the wall of the vessel from an atherosclerotic plaque, or from a needle puncture during the course of an angiogram or other medical and diagnostic procedure. Clots in an artery may limit or block the flow of blood into an extremity and can cause pain in the muscles beyond the obstruction during use or exercise of the involved limb. In addition, the involved limb may appear pale and feel painful even at rest. Such symptoms should prompt you to see your doctor.