12/12/2020
A picture of a blood clot removed from an 80-year-old patient after he presented with a 2-day-long nosebleed. According to the accompanying text, the patient coded shortly after arrival at an emergency room, and a blood clot that went “from his nose down his airway and into his lungs” was found and removed while trying to intubate.
A blood clot is a clump of blood that has changed from a liquid to a gel-like or semisolid state. Clotting is a necessary process that can prevent you from losing too much blood in certain instances, such as when you’re injured or cut but they can also form when they aren't needed and cause serious medical problems.
When a blood clot occurs in an artery, it’s called an arterial clot. This type of clot causes symptoms immediately and requires emergency treatment. The symptoms of an arterial clot include severe pain, paralysis of parts of the body, or both. It can lead to a heart attack or stroke.
A blood clot that occurs in a vein is called a venous clot. These types of clots may build up more slowly over time, but they can still be life-threatening. The most serious type of venous clot is called deep vein thrombosis.
