Blood Clot in the Heart

Blood clots are needed to help our body's repair an injury that has occurred to a blood vessel, but the issue is when our body becomes confused and tries to repair something that isn't damaged.

A blood clot in the heart usually occurs because a person's artery has had plaque built up inside and eventually, that plaque can break away. When this happens, the body mistakenly thinks it is damaged, and a blood clot is formed to repair it. Instead of dissolving, the blood clot in the heart attaches to the artery's opening, preventing the heart from receiving oxygen. The heart will begin to die without oxygen, and this causes a heart attack.

Another reason for a blood clot in the heartis if a person suffers from Atrial Fibrillation in which the chamber of their heart has an erratic beat. This allows blood clots to form along the wall of the Atrial. This is dangerous because the blood clots can travel and cause the person to have a stroke.

Patients who develop a blood clot in their heart often show no symptoms to let them know there is a problem until it is too late. Others have experienced shortness of breath, nausea, chest pains that come on suddenly and can radiate to other limbs. If any of these symptoms appears, you must seek medical treatment immediately. Having blood clots in the heart is not a death sentence if found and treated quickly.

If a patient has a history of any blood clot disease or disorder, or if they experience any of the above symptoms, their doctor will run a series of tests, including blood work, chest x-rays, and usually they will begin to routinely monitor the person with a machine that can read the heart's electrical activity. This machine is known as an electrocardiogram, more commonly an EKG machine.

Once it has been determined that a patient has a blood clot in the heart or blood clot disorders, they will begin a treatment that includes blood-thinning medication taken either orally or through an IV. If the blood clot is blocking the heart, the doctor may have to perform an angioplasty and physically remove the blood clot with a tube and inflated balloon to restore the flow of blood back to the heart.

The best way to handle a blood clot in the heart is prevention. Staying active and exercising regularly will assist with the flow of blood and that will help clots from forming unless they are needed.