Arterial Thromboembolism is sometimes misdiagnosed as Venous Thrombosis

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Venous Thrombosis, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Arterial Thromboembolism.

Arterial thrombosis is when a blood clot occurs in an artery and reduces the blood flow to an organ. This disease can cause more deadly health issues like a heart attack or stroke to occur. Symptoms a patient can present with such as pain in one limb, chest pain, numbness or weakness on one side of the body can easily be mistaken for an arterial embolism. Arterial embolism is when the blood clot in the artery completely blocks off the blood flow. When misdiagnosed as an embolism, patients faced a 27% increased chance of death. Those that did survive treatment faced complications such as gangrene.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Pain in one leg, single sided numbness, single sided weakness, mental changes, a swollen leg or arm, chest pain

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

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