How does a blood clot pass from the leg to the lung? Anatomy. 

I had exactly what you said in this video in November-December 2021. Started off after long drives for business trips. Pain in left calf. I thought that it was a muscle strain from the gym. The pain subsided after 2 weeks. Then, I experienced shortness of breath and tachycardia for 5 weeks! 5 different doctors improperly diagnosed this as my asthma. On December 18th, my wife took me to the ER. They did a CT can of my chest, and found extensive bilateral pulmonary emboli. I still had a DVT in my left thigh area. I was placed on heparin for 2 days, then Eliquis. After being discharged, I went to a hematologist, found out that I have what my father has, a prothrombin/factor II mutation which places us at higher risk for thrombosis. He's a lifer on Warfarin, I'm a lifer on Eliquis. We're both lucky to be alive. About 30% die from PE. God bless those who perished from this highly misdiagnosed disorder.

My mother recently died from a “blood clot on the lungs.” I didn’t understand what that was. I miss her deeply but strangely it gives me some comfort to know what happened to her. Thank you.

One of the most thorough videos explaining what recently happened to me. I came to work at the hospital where I serve as a chaplain. I had swelling in my leg, the nurses told me to go down to the Emergency Dept and get a sonogram on my leg. I did and much to my surprise, I found I had a major clot going from my thigh down into my calf muscles. I also had a ct scan that revealed some moderate size p.e.'s Thankfully they got me on blood thinners and with much prayer and help of good dr.'s I was able to come through the ordeal and am back to work. Now just tryin to discover the root cause of these clots to hopefully prevent it from happening again. Thanks for your good video.

He's a really good teacher and seems a nice person as well... thank you for your great and helpful content

This just happened to me and this was a perfect video in explaining what is happening inside my body. Thank you!

*Best Anatomy Demonstrator working without any personal interest!*

11/28/2022 - I had a cough throughout the day at work. I thought it may be Covid. I bought and took a home test, it was negative. 11/29/2022 - I woke up feeling like absolute crap, cough, sore throat, etc. I called off work and stayed at home in bed. Ate soup for dinner, had a couple cups of tea that afternoon/evening. 11/30/2022 - Woke up feeling even worse, called off work again, did much of the same. Took another Covid test. It was also negative. 12/1/2022 - Still felt like crap, but went to work, then straight home after. 12/2/2022 - Throat so sore I could barely swallow, I went to CVS Minute Clinic. I was tested for Strep, Flu A, Flu B, and Covid. All were negative. I was told it was a bad cold/sinus infection, and prescribed a 5 day course of Augmentin. Over the next few days, I began to feel better, but with a relentless cough at night. About a week later, I finally began to feel better and pretty much normal. 12/11/2022 - Sitting watching football, I got a cramp-like pain in my calf. After unsuccessfully trying to stretch it and walk it off, I lifted my jeans to reveal a swollen, hard, itchy, painful, hot-to-the-touch vein. This concerned me a little bit, so I kept an eye on it the next couple days, and I had more redness and swelling the next couple days. 12/14/2022 - Given family history of blood clots, I called my doctor. He was out, but the person I talked to urged me to come in to the walk-in clinic that day when I told her about family history. I was given an ultrasound. They ruled out DVT, and said that it was a "superficial thrombus", which is a surface clot, and it would likely resolve itself within a couple weeks. 12/21/2022 - After doing a 30 minute session on the stair climber, I took my son out to dinner and a movie for his birthday. While out to dinner, I began to have a mild pain in my upper, right rib area. 12/22/2022 - My leg pain was gone, but the pain in my upper right rib area was still there, and I was a bit short of breath, but nothing severe. I just couldn't quite get a deep breath. Towards the end of the work day, a co-worker said something funny, and as I laughed I felt a sharp, stabbing pain in the upper right rib area. I called my doctor. Out of the office again, but walk-in clinic still open. I went in, thinking I may have pneumonia, as my symptoms were consistent with pneumonia I had 3 years prior). I was given a chest x-ray, which I was told didn't show anything, and was told I likely had a pulled intercostal muscle. I was prescribed prednisone and a Voltaren (yes, arthritis cream). 12/28/2022 - The pain was still present in my right side, and my shortness of breath was worse. I was showing someone something at work, when I had to catch my breath after every other sentence. I was urged to go into Urgent Care to get checked out again. I did so, and was given another chest X-ray and a 24 hour Covid test. They told me it looked like pneumonia, but they couldn't quite confirm it. They gave me a Z-pack and told me if I got worse, or my symptoms didn't improve in 24-48 hours, that I should go to the ER. 12/29/2022 - I felt a little better than the day before, but not much. Also, I received my Covid results and they were negative. 12/30/2022 - I woke up with my shortness of breath worse, and pain no longer on my right side, but now on my left side, and more severe. I went to the ER. They did a CT scan of my chest and told me I had pulmonary embolism and pneumonia/pleural effusion (depending on who you asked). As I was waiting for a room, they told me that had to do respiratory panels, before admitting me. They did so, and 12 hours later, they finally took me to my room and told me I also tested positive for Covid. This is neither here nor there, but I don't believe I had Covid, as I had 4 negative tests, including a 24 hour one in the days leading up to this. I believe it was a false positive. 1/4/2023 - After 5 days in hospital, being on oxygen, being given Eliquis, antibiotics, steroids, Protonix, and a multi-vitamin, I was discharged. I have a handful of follow-ups in the days ahead (infectious disease specialist from hospital, pulmonologist, blood work, etc), but I'm already doing significantly better (40-45 minute walks or light elliptical sessions and/or 10-12 sets of very light weights each day), but nowhere near where I was before (6 days/week of 90 minute weightlifting and cardio sessions). It seems the exercise has an almost instant positive effect on my pulse ox readings, especially the weight lifting, as there's such a focus on breathing while lifting weights. Anyhow, this is how I got where I did.

I know I'll keep watching your videos even after I'm done with anatomy because I absolutely love the way you teach. Thank you for everything you do for your students and everyone on youtube. Best wishes from Sudan!

What a piece of work The human body is so amazing

This concept of the anatomical description of a phenomenon is totally fascinating. Really good idea for a video topic. Loved it. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

I’m not medically trained just someone wanting to find out more - the human body is so fascinating! Thanks for sharing this you teach so well even total lay people can understand many of the concepts

Extremely interesting & quite easy to understand for anyone of any age. I was diagnosed last year with A DVT in my left leg & took Eliquis for 4 months, after which my doctor told me to stop even though I had enough for 2 more months. He did NOT do any blood tests or another scan of my leg. I was NEVER told to move around either though I do my best as I have a replaced right knee. Now we are in 2023...that same blood clot in the left side now went higher up in that leg and I developed another one in my right leg near the groin! If that wasn't bad enough, I now have 2 blood clots (PE) in either lung~! For goodness sakes! But I refuse to let any of this get me down. I have been researching the subject of blood clots since I learned of it on Feb. 25th. I am an older person with a very young brain (mindset) and I do thank you for your video because it actually shows you exactly how Blood Clots form and how they go from your leg into your lungs~!

This is a stressful topic, and I REALLY appreciate the very mellow and calming presentation in this video! This will be my go-to channel for any anatomical questions in the future :)

I had a clot do exactly this it took approx 60 days before it reached my lung from my leg, for 2 weeks the length of time on my feet got smaller and smaller before collapsing, i was passed out for 20minutes the woke up face down & into ambulance off to hospital. I am now recovering at home gaining strength slowly day by day. After the scans the doctors were speechless that i was alive they actually shook their heads and asked how did you get back up from this. I got 2nd chance i am one of the lucky ones. Clot started approx 20/12/2021, Collapsed 3/3/2022. Dont delay getting to hospital like me.

January of 2020, I became so sick off and on. I was fatigued, had rapid heartrate, night sweats, shortness of breath, fevers up to 104, body aches, double vision, but each time I would present to a clinic all my vitals would be just fine and they said I had a "virus" so they couldn't give me anything. I finally went to our local ER (where I volunteer) a couple of times and the lovely doctors said, "Are you anxious", of course, I'm anxious!! I saw a Vascular Surgeon and he treated me with a dismissive attitude and said I was fine. Finally, on February 22, after a day of volunteering at our local hospital I knew we were slammed in our ER, so I told my husband I had to go to a ER and now. We went to a new free-standing ER about 2 miles from house and luckily there were only 3 patients and me. I tell the ER doctor all the others visits and that every time my vitals would come back 'just fine', but I actually BEGGED him to please believe me that something was wrong with me. He walked out and a nurse came in and said, "The doctor wants another vial of blood", I said take as many as you want. About 20 minutes later the nurse comes back in and says we're taking you to our CT scan. After that it was about 20 minutes later and the doctor walks and leans against the counter with folded arms...not a good sign. He proceeds to tell me I have two acute PE's, one in the upper left lobe and one in the lower right lobe. I was taken my ambulance to a heart and stroke hospital where they discovered the DVT in my right calf. I was terrified but finally felt vindicated from all the others who made me think I was crazy. I've had another DVT and three more PE's and I'm on Warfarin for life. I will forever be grateful for Dr. Jorgsenson

Thank you for this wonderful video explaining exactly what a PE is.

Clearest demonstration and explanation I've ever seen. I had a classic PE.UC SF Cardiologist decided I needed statins, of course I refused. Did light constitent excersize and intermittent fasting. Now I'm fine

Fascinating as always sir. Thank you. This video was of particular interest to me as I am a myelomeningocele with poor bilateral lower limb musculature and, in 1976, I developed a touch of gangrene in my left great, third and fourth toes. Presumably because of the impaired nerves, it was not a painful condition for me, though the very real possibilty of above knee amputation was "exciting" and the heart rate went up a bit for a while when that was suggested. I was prescribed bed rest and peripheral vaso-dilators and after a bit of trimming of the ischemic bits and an open bilateral lumbar sympathectomy, no further treatment was needed. I thought this story might be of interest but if not, I apologise for being a clot! Blessings and peace

Thanks so much for the fully understandable explanation. I am watching this video while I'm in hospital for this issue. No Doctors have time to explain us like you are doing. Millions Thanks 😊

Your videos are so helpful, easy to understand, and interesting. Thank you!

I just recently started watching your videos, and I am already a huge fan. What a marvelous teacher you are 😊. I am a new subscriber btw .

I am doing my best to learn all these terms and your videos are so helpful to have the explanation and a visual. I'm addicted now. Thank you for what you do.

This was amazing. Just diagnosed last night with a small blood clot but not DVT mine is in a vein closer to the surface and extremely painful. this video really helped me understand what needs to happen or for something else more drastic happens. your explanations on the anatomy in this video was done very well. it will give me some basis of understanding when I go and visit with my doctor today and figure out a treatment plan.

Loved the video, well explained with necessary visual aids/models. excellent!

This is so informative. And so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to post it. You're an excellent instructor.

I'm so glad that I found your channel!😭❤️

Absolutely love your vids, thankyou so much for your entertaining and educational format of sharing your knowledge, much appreciated. 🇦🇺

As always, excellent video! You’ve taught me during my prerequisites, and now during nursing school. Thank you, sir! Love from California!

Blood clot progression through the veins from the lower leg to the lungs (left leg example): 8:00 - blood flows up the left popliteal vein, which turns into the... 8:20 - left femoral vein, which turns into the... 8:35 - left external iliac vein 9:05 - left external and left internal iliac veins join to form the left common iliac vein (right and left internal iliac veins on the opposite side join to form the right common iliac vein opposite) 9:11 - left and right common iliac veins join to form the inferior vena cava 9:27 - "are you noticing a pattern here, these blood vessels are getting bigger and bigger and bigger as we go, so if a thrombus breaks off and becomes an embolus, and floats through these blood vessels, it's passage becomes easier and easier because the blood vessels are getting bigger and bigger." 9:57 - inferior vena cava flows into the heart 10:13 - interior vena cava drains blood into the right atrium 10:22 - blood flows from right atrium to right ventricle 10:30 - blood flows from right ventricle through the pulmonary truck/pulmonary vessel 11:05 - blood flows from pulmonary trunk/vein into the lungs 11:23 - pulmonary arteries enter lungs and immediately branch out, getting smaller and smaller, causing the embolus or broken off clot to get lodged there

Great educational video & simple to understand. I had a pe 10+ yrs ago post surgery. Awesome to know how & what it passed thru.

Great and one of the best videos I have even seen. I found this video more valuable and effective and information enriched as opposed to Personally going though the hospitals and specialists and doctors and etc etc …. Excellent video, clarity, simplistic language, honesty, and most importantly subject matter expert is truly a bliss

iam 1st year medical student from egypt and this is the best tutorial i have ever seen to explain how pulmonary embolism form , thank you doctor

Love this channel.🔥

Excellent explanation and very sympathetic presentation, thank you!

Thanks so much for your thorough and clear explanations!! Very helpful

I am a 1st year adult nursing student, this video is very useful for me as I had my first placement in Stroke Unit Rehab. It’s all well explained thank you very much.

Thank you for your videos. I'm taking the board exam for physical therapist assistant certification and your videos have assisted my review of information.

My 11 year old daughter died 2019 due to Pulmonary embolism 😥am still trying to learn about this even now..

Thanks Sam very much, great video on DVT, you explain it very well, its great to learn about something and be able to really understand it. Not many videos on RU-vid do the same. I will tell ppl. about your website.

Another very informative video! Thank you Sam

thank you! on Saturday I was admitted to hospital with a suspected pulmonary embolism 4 weeks after contracting covid. I had no symptoms of a DVT. The first symptoms for me was intense fatigue, breathlessness. It was frightening. Thankfully, the wonderful hospital staff sorted me out. Covid, the gift that keeps on giving.

What are the incredibly good teacher this man is.

Thank you for your teaching!!!! I love these videos.

Thank you so much for explaining things. I was diagnosed with a DVT in May after telling my doctor and the surgeon that there was something wrong when I went to emergency and was told I have a DVT this explains all lot more than any of the doctor's here in Canada 🇨🇦 thanks again 😊😊😊

Brilliantly explained.

Passed my exams ,, but still watching your video's ✌️✌️ tq for the great lectures

Your explanation was excellent for us no so smart folk. U are a great teacher and explain ed this so easily. Thanks I will be watching more of your videos

Thanks for the help. This was very informative. I'm 33 and had a PE. I hope it's not from a blood disorder.

Exellent explanation. ! Thank you very much.

You have a new subscriber in me. Great explanation of what a blood clot is and why it's so dangerous if unchecked. Thanks a million.

Many thanks, it is a very good video, you make medicine more interesting.

This has really helped me ...Thanks so much

You are the best, very well explained 👌

Thanks. Very well explained.

perfect explanation! thank you.

you are a superb teacher

thank you so much for doing these lessons studying wantabe RMT.

I recently had a DVT, PE, etc. Thanks for the explanation. After several tests, doctors are still trying to determine the cause. Anyways, my body is recovering with no damage to my heart, although the right heart had stopped working. I am a walking miracle.

I was sitting in the office on a Monday, having returned to a flight from South America the previous Friday, and noticed my left lower knee was sore, but I couldn't recall any insult or injury to explain the pain. Curious, I googled "leg pain" & "air travel" and immediately found DVT. Jumped out of my chair, told my boss I was going to the med center and soon found out I, indeed, had a number of blood clots! Lovinox to start, followed by Heparin 6-month treatment. What I learned was that spending a week at above 8000 ft tends to thicken the blood and then not moving or getting up over a 6+ hr flight are a recipe for DVT. Now I make sure and mimic Michael Flatley doing the River Dance in the aisle when I fly!

Thank you that was very beneficial

Great explanation

Excellent explanation. Thank you for the information. I have bilateral PE. Doctors didn't explain anything to me while hospitalised. Well.... doctors don't explain anything to start with.

Awesome overview

Much informative🧡💫💫💫

Thank you sir! You explained it better than my Dr . I have a DVT left calf currently on eliquis

Seams you were narrating my story, Heart burn, severe asthma, right foot hurting, Just walked intoA&E just for check up, only to require X-rays and scans - clot in right lung. Immediately on thinners Having more exercises . Hopefully Okay

Here because my best friend passed away due to this, pulmonary embolism by obesity. She was 27, 220 pounds, had 2 kids. She had the symptoms but ignored them & passed them off as "being fat" or something thatll go away as we all usually do. Her death was SUDDEN. No one saw it coming including herself i suppose so this is a very scary thought that a blood clot could do this.

Brilliant

Just lost my father in law to this last night 😞

thanks very easy to understand 😊👍

Amazing

Rly good teacher regards from Portugal 🇵🇹

What you said is right because I have a blood clot in my leg please help me remove it naturally

My husband passed away from a DVT we believe. He had three open heart surgeries in his life so there was already issues with his his health. Three years ago he went out to shovel heavy snow and ended up with calf pain. His mother and I both told him it could be a blood clot but he did not call his doctor and passed two days after his 67th birthday and 3 days before Christmas. Now friends, he was already fed up with doctors and hospitals and infections around his heart. It was a quick way for him to go and that's how he wanted it. We miss him so much!! ❤ 😍

Excellent

Thank you. You gave me a laugh with this video while I'm lying here with a clot! Thank you 😊

Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic film and for raising awareness of a serious medical problem that hasn't gotten enough attention. Blood clots commonly develop in the leg for two major reasons: first, excessive blood sugar; second, inactivity. With developing COVID, this lethal combo nearly killed many from overweight people. In general, lowering blood sugar is essential and provides better results than using solely blood thinners because blood thinners can be risky for overweight persons if other risk factors are not addressed. Blood clots in the legs can be broken up by a high dose of blood thinners in overweight patients, which can cause the smaller clots to travel to the lung and worsen matters rapidly. Natural blood thinners, in my opinion, provides better answer because they disintegrate blood clots while also sending them to the kidneys for removal from the bloodstream. For this reason in an emergency situation, blood thinner should be administered combined with serum to help the kidneys cleanse the blood. In this situation, routine blood donation is the simplest solution to a dangerous issue and can save people' lives.

A great explanation, thank you p.s. I got DVT + PE + renal embolism, was initially diagnosed as pneumonia

Thank you for your explanation. Did a doppler due to burning of my feet. Retrograde flow was noted at the SFJ with reflux time at 1.5 secs. What does this mean?

I feel like typing so here is my near death experience and 5 years later still not out of the woods. 45, 180, Former pilot who did a lot of sitting but active. Injured my back, 2 surgeries gained 30 pounds. Years later I started feeling aches in my left leg when getting up but thats normal... Then one morning when I got out of bed my left leg felt like concrete. The inner thigh down past the knee was red, swollen and warm to the touch. Went to my Doc who immediately put me in a wheel chair and taken to a CT scan. I could hear the tech's voice and actions that she was concerned and should be. There was a 3 and 1/2 foot blood clot. A lung scan revealed 2 PE each lung. No action taken because of their location/size. Emergency removal and I was sedated fent/verset not put asleep . I can only describe the removal as being Mexican cartel torture level. I passed out numerous times and thought I was dying. On my belly while a line was inserted behind my knee and what looked like a "vacuum" used to pull the large clot out. It was HUGE and looked like thinly cut fatty red meat. 3 -4 hours of pure hell. I was told the clot broke up and went through my heart and could have killed me. Then broke into 2 pieces into each lung which could have killed me. Heart has some damage. 4 days later I left and know take Eliquis for life. I was told NOT to go on ladders as a blow to the head could kill me. My leg is partially numb, sciatica with my calf muscle being 4x larger than the right leg. So yeah... Don't sit for long periods. Is that what caused this? Will never know but it couldn't have helped. That + 2 back surgeries, weight gain+ increased inactivity definitely raised the chances.

Thnx a lot 4 sharing your knowledge with us! I have swirls & wonder why! 😵‍💫

Excellent explanation!!. How much time does it take for it to reach from leg to lungs?

❤thank you!

As it is traveling through the the pelvic and abdominal area- does it cause any symptoms or is it ‘silent’?

Will miss you whole week

I from India. Your video very best I'm subscribe channel

I just found out this weekend that I have 5 blood clots...3 in my left leg(1 at the top part of my leg on the side, 1 behind my knee, and 1 is a dvt and 2 in my lungs( 1 in each side of my lungs...1 is in the middle part of my left lung and the other is somewhere in 1 of the 2 on the right side lung)...also my liver has a high enzyme count...my leg is showing the signs that I do have dvt...would I need surgery on the dvt? I was put on blood thinners but I don't know if it will help with the dvt...what is your opinion?

I wish I had seen this video 2 years ago. I am looking around for information regarding many "DVTs'" that have begun surfacing, along with the pulmonary signs and symptoms. The other two that-in an emergency-might be thrown in the mix are compartment syndrome and rhabdo. Early identification and misidentification is made easier by so many symptoms being so very similar. is it safe to say that pre-planning would include blood clotting agents ( If they are currently taking blood thinners), tourniquets, and aspirin, O2 if feasible (with an I-Gel, King, Combi, whatever protocol permits) , and be prepared to have that individual on the way to definitive care within minutes. We deal with these more and more often in the younger "vakkspositive" generation. Especially the athletic ones. Sore legs are a red light and represent immediate evacuation considerations. Is this a safe rule of thumb: Due to the rapid progression of respiratory (and possibly some coronary) failures and the common method and manner of mortality (JUST DROPPING DEAD), signs, and symptoms in a number of different syndromes and other medical, VIRAL, and "REACTIONS" to meds and VACCINES-should be treated as a PE in progress and focus primarily on imminent respiratory failure. I hate to say this, but it is true, and we just need to be a little more prepared. It's not a problem at all. It can happen at your next family gathering and some 8 year old child drops. Respiratory first. Great instruction. This was absolutely lifesaving. Covid related issues are now our responsibility to identify quickly and be prepared to deal with in the worst of scenarios. Thanks, hope to get more info so we can pass it on.

Question I have going into this: Is the lung the place where an embolism actually causes major issues, and thats why its the most talked about embolism, or is there something special about the lung that makes it a good net for emboli?

Developing a deep vein thrombosis from watching Sam Webster videos all day

Amazing teacher-I would def have a crush on him if I was in his class too 🤭

I'm in my last year of high school and it's break till the 3rd and today one of my friends passed away due to a bloodclot

Where can we buy those anatonmy models from?

If I needed a heart transplant, I'd want Sam to do it, especially because he looks like Dr. House.

Would it be possible for a blood clot in the leg end up in the brain and cause a stroke?

When I cut myself, I bleed for a long time. Does this mean that I wouldn’t be prone to blood clots? Thanks

I'm in the hospital right now and I'm alive. I know how the clot traveled from the leg to the lung, but I don't know how the second clot reached the artery in the other leg

So I got a few blood clots in legs but I am still doing yoga I ask am I ok to do this?

I am currently recovering from having 20 pe's removed from both lungs. It was done like a heart cath, but wires/tube went into the lungs. Watched the whole thing...I have been treated for acute asthma for years, and now I am wondering if it was blood clots...ever since my procedure I have had no breathing issues.

Question: Once a thrombosis is formed, say in the lower leg, can't it dissolve? Thank you for lovely talk.