The mechanism used by the human body to prevent loss of blood from an injury can sometimes turn against us when it causes a clot to form within the bloodstream. If the clot travels to the lungs or brain, it can quickly lead to serious complications and death if not diagnosed correctly right away. Unfortunately, blood clot misdiagnosis is more common than you may imagine.
When medical providers misdiagnose a condition that is as life-threatening as a blood clot, you may need the guidance of the top-quality medical malpractice attorneys at Lopez McHugh LLP. From our offices in Philadelphia, PA, we offer compassionate, knowledgeable representation in all legal matters pertaining to your claim. Contact us for a free consultation to learn more.
What is a Blood Clot?
When your body senses a cut, it reacts by forming a blood clot. A blood clot is a group of blood cells that forms a small plug in your blood in order to stop bleeding. Blood clots are necessary for quickly stopping the flow of blood when an injury occurs.
However, when blood clots unexpectedly form inside the body, they can travel throughout the bloodstream and block any blood vessels smaller than the clot. Blood clots can cause dangerous health conditions, including heart attacks, strokes, pulmonary emboli, and more.
What Causes Abnormal Blood Clots?
There are many causes of blood clots, such as injuries, disruptions of blood flow, injury to the blood vessels, surgeries, changes in blood composition, or a person’s lifestyle. Blood clots can have serious medical consequences, and when medical malpractice or negligence prevents prompt diagnosis and treatment, they often put the patient at risk of severe injury or death.
Abnormal blood clot conditions include but are not limited to:
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
A deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in one or more deep veins in the leg and can cause serious damage. Many older patients are aware of their risk for developing DVT and wear compression socks to help prevent the condition. If you are considered susceptible to DVT, you may be told to wear these socks when taking a flight since the change in air pressure can increase your chances of developing a clot.
Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot forms in the lungs, which is especially dangerous because it can lead to long-term damage and death. Many PEs occur when a DVT goes undiagnosed.
Faulty Blood Clot Filter
To treat DVT, doctors often surgically implant a medical device called a blood clot filter. However, if the patient experiences device failure, serious consequences result. Additionally, blood clot filters removed too early or too late increase the chances of harmful injuries.
Birth Control
The FDA has warned that drospirenone – an ingredient in many birth control pills – increases the chances of its users developing blood clots. These blood clots can cause a potentially life-threatening pulmonary embolism, heart attack, or stroke.
Prescription Medication Error
When a patient suffers from a blood clot, doctors prescribe certain medications. Some of these medications, like Xarelto, can cause blood clots if patients stop taking them abruptly. Other medications can interfere with blood clotting, such as Eliquis, Coumadin, Pradaxa, Savaysa, Heparin, and other blood thinners.
Surgical Complications
Blood clots can be a complication of surgery, especially orthopedic surgeries where mobility is restricted. As you are recovering from surgery, you’re usually lying down and resting for long periods of time. When you do not move as much, blood flows a bit slower through your deep veins, which can lead to a blood clot.
Post-operative blood clots cause sudden, increased swelling as well as pain. You are more likely to get a blood clot between two to ten days after surgery. As a result of this risk, patients are encouraged to stand and move as soon as possible after surgery and to continue moving around when they return home.
Who is at Risk of Developing a Blood Clot?
Blood clots can form unexpectedly and can affect anyone at any age. However, some people may be at a higher risk. For example, you may be at increased risk of blood clots if you:
- Are overweight
- Are a smoker
- Are over the age of 60
- Take oral contraceptives
- Have chronic inflammatory disease
- Have atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation
- Have congestive heart failure
- Have cirrhosis
- Have cancer
- Have fractures in your lower extremities
- Are pregnant
- Have a history of blood clotting disorders
- Are unable to walk
- Travel frequently via plane
Recognizing the Signs of a Blood Clot
The signs of a DVT are often subtle compared to the more dramatic symptoms of a PE. If your physician ignores the symptoms or does not perform the correct tests, they could be found at fault for medical malpractice due to a blood clot misdiagnosis.
DVTs typically occur in the legs but can occur in your arms. You may experience symptoms such as:
- Swelling in the leg or arm
- Pain in the leg or arm, similar to a cramp
- Reddish or bluish discolored skin
- A feeling of warmth along the swollen leg
You may only experience minor pain or swelling and not have any discoloration that shows to the naked eye. If you cannot explain the pain or swelling by some activity, such as a workout or playing sports, you may need to visit your doctor to check for blood clots.
The signs of a PE include:
- Sudden shortness of breath
- Chest pain or discomfort that gets worse when you take a deep breath
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- Fainting
- Having a rapid pulse
- Coughing up blood
Because the clot in a PE is so close to the head, it is possible for part of the clot to break away and travel to the brain, causing a stroke or other condition. If you experience any of the symptoms listed above, you should seek emergency medical help and notify the providers that you suspect a PE clot.
How Are Blood Clots Typically Diagnosed?
Most people do not know that much about blood clots and may not be familiar with the signs and symptoms until something happens to them or someone they know. DVT and PE share similar symptoms with other health problems and can easily be misdiagnosed by medical professionals.
After you are at your physician’s office or the emergency room, the doctors and nurses will perform a number of tests to determine what is happening. They may or may not suspect a blood clot, but there are important tools they can use to rule out a DVT or PE. If your doctor fails to perform the right tests, they could misdiagnose a blood clot or fail to diagnose it.
Diagnosing DVT
DVT symptoms are less dramatic than those of a PE, but when a DVT goes undiagnosed, it can lead to a PE or post-thrombotic syndrome. Your doctor can use several methods to diagnose DVT, including:
- D-dimer test: This is a blood test that is most commonly used to rule out the presence of blood clots. When a clot forms in the bloodstream, certain proteins are released and can be detected from a small blood sample.
- Duplex ultrasound: A two-part process where an ultrasound machine is used to produce two images, one from brightness modulation ultrasound and the other from Doppler ultrasound. The goal is to see what the veins inside the leg or arm look like (part one) and listen to the flow of blood (part two).
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Rather than using X-ray radiation, which can be harmful and increase the risk of cancer, MRI uses pulses of radio frequency waves to cause the body tissues to give off signals the machine reads as an image. Blood clots are clearly detectable compared to flowing blood, so a diagnosis can be made.
- Venography: An X-ray technique that uses a contrast dye to observe possible blood clots in places such as the pelvis where ultrasound may not work. This method is still in use but has largely been replaced by magnetic resonance imaging.
Your doctor may choose to use any combination of these tests to determine if you have developed DVT.
Diagnosing PE
While the symptoms of a PE seem more obvious, they can be difficult to spot if the patient already has a pre-existing condition. Your doctor should take a full medical history and / or access your current medical records, if possible, so they understand any conditions you have that could mask the signs of a blood clot in the lungs.
Your doctor should also use any of the following tests or a combination of them to diagnose a PE:
- Arterial blood gas test: By taking a very small blood sample by needle from an artery, your doctor can examine the level of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood. This indicates whether your lungs are functioning abnormally in the presence of a clot.
- Chest X-ray: Clots do not show up on X-rays, but a chest X-ray is frequently used to either diagnose or rule out other conditions, such as pneumonia or fluid in the lungs. If the X-ray is normal, but the patient’s blood oxygen level is low, it can indicate the presence of a PE.
- Echocardiogram: An echocardiogram uses ultrasound techniques to obtain an image of the heart. This can show any areas and blood vessels that are not functioning as they should. With pulmonary embolisms, the right side of the heart may have trouble pumping correctly due to reduced blood flow from the lungs.
- Pulmonary angiogram: This test is the definitive scan used to diagnose a PE. It also uses contrast dye injected into the bloodstream and X-rays to track the progress of the dye. This test is much more invasive, using a catheter inserted into a vein, usually in the thigh. The catheter is moved into position through the heart and inside the lungs, injecting dye and taking X-rays to show any blockages from clots.
- Pulse oximetry: This test uses a small device that clips to the index finger to assess both your pulse and the level of oxygen in your blood. These are often one of the first pieces of equipment used when you enter the hospital or your doctor’s office. If your blood oxygen level is below 95%, a blood clot may be present.
- Spiral computed tomography (CT): This test involves using a large device that takes cross-sectional images of the chest. A contrast dye is injected, which is absorbed differently by the various tissues in the body. The computer assembles the images into a single result that shows any abnormalities.
Blood Clot Complications
Misdiagnosed blood clots put patients at an extreme risk. Patients can suffer catastrophic or even fatal injuries when a misdiagnosed blood clot travels through the body and into the heart, lungs, or brain. Blood clots can block the flow of blood to vital organs, causing damage or tissue death.
When a blood clot forms in one or more arteries in the heart or travels to the heart from a different area of the body, it can block the blood flow to part of the heart muscle. This reduces or completely cuts off the oxygen supply to the cells in that area of the heart. As those cells die, a heart attack occurs.
Blood clots that travel to the brain result in a stroke, causing paralysis and even death. Clots that form in the eye can cause sudden and permanent blindness. It is crucial that your doctor take every precaution to avoid a blood clot misdiagnosis.
Contact Our Experienced Philadelphia Medical Malpractice Lawyers
If you or someone you love suffered an injury or death as the result of a misdiagnosed blood clot in Philadelphia, you may be able to file a legal claim for financial compensation. Contact the experienced medical malpractice lawyers at Lopez McHugh LLP today to schedule a free consultation to discuss your case.