Blood Clots From Workplace Injuries

Workplace injuries can lead to serious complications even after they have been treated and the worker has fairly recovered.

blood clots from work injuries

One of the complications that can develop after an injury or after undergoing surgery for a workplace injury is blood clots. Blood clots can further lead to serious complications, if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner. A worker who has undergone a knee replacement surgery for repairing a torn meniscus can develop a blood clot. In this post, our St. Louis worker injury lawyer will talk about the complications that blood clots can lead to.

Blood clots develop naturally in the body as a way to stop bleeding, and are necessary for healing a wound. If a worker undergoes a surgery for treating a workplace injury, a blood clot will form near the surgery site. These clots are usually a good thing and are not dangerous. However, if the blood clot travels to the deep veins (often to the calf and legs), the condition is called a deep vein thrombosis. When this happens. The blood clot obstructs the blood flow in the vein and causes pain and swelling. The clot can also travel to the lungs and cause a condition known as pulmonary embolism in which the blood flow to the lungs and heart is obstructed.

About Deep Vein Thrombosis

As we said earlier, Deep Vein Thrombosis is a blood clot that forms in a vein that is deep in the body, particularly in the leg or thighs. These clots can occur in other parts of the body as well. DVT is a serious condition and can lead to permanent injury to the affected leg.

A large percentage of DVT patients develop permanent damage in the affected veins and their valves, which results in abnormal pooling of blood in the leg, swelling, fatigue and chronic leg pain. In severe cases, it can cause skin ulcers too. DVT can result in conditions such as:

  • Discoloration of the legs
  • Swelling of the lower limb
  • Calf or leg pain or tenderness
  • Warm skin
  • Leg fatigue
  • Surface veins become more visible
  • Pain and discomfort sitting or walking

Blood clots in veins can also break loose and travel through the blood stream and lodge in the lungs. These clots can then obstruct blood flow in the lungs can result in pulmonary embolism. In the US, over 600,000 cases of DVT are diagnosed each year. Sadly, one in 100 people who develops this condition dies.

It is extremely important to be aware of the signs and symptoms of DVT and Pulmonary embolism and workers should seek immediate medical care if they experience any of these symptoms.

If you have suffered an injury in the workplace that has resulted in a blood clot from a surgery or any other reason, you may be entitled to workers compensation. You should get in touch with a qualified St. Louis workers compensation attorney to learn more about your rights. Call (314) 361-4300 for a FREE and private consultation.

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Updated: May 1, 2018