Symptoms

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) often has no symptoms – in over half of deep vein thromboses, there are no symptoms at all.

However, a serious complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is pulmonary embolism (PE) where the blood clot from a deep vein breaks away, travels within the bloodstream, and blocks the blood supply to the lungs.

Signs and Symptoms of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)	Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
Swelling of the calf, ankle or foot	Sharp chest pain (worse during deep breathing)
Tenderness or pain in the calf or upper leg	Shortness of breath (dyspnoea) and/or hyperventilation
Purple or blue discoloration of the skin on the leg	Coughing up of blood (haemoptysis)
Increased warmth of the leg	Rapid heart beat (tachycardia)
Redness of the skin (erythema)	Feeling faint/fainting

The symptoms that are seen with DVT and PE are similar to those produced by many other conditions and this may make diagnosis difficult.

More on diagnosis...

You should always consult your doctor if you are experiencing symptoms of DVT or PE following orthopaedic surgery, especially if you are considered as being high risk for developing VTE.

More on risk factors…