Blood clot, DVT & pulmonary embolism compensation claims

What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a clump of sticky blood that has changed from a liquid to a semi-solid state. When we suffer wounds like grazes and skin lacerations, our blood naturally clots to prevent blood loss. 

When this process happens internally it can have severe and even fatal impacts. Blood clots can slow down blood flow, move toward a vital organ, such as your heart or lungs, and morph into more serious conditions such as DVT or pulmonary embolisms.

If caught early enough, most blood clots can be treated before they become a serious threat to your health. Misdiagnosis of blood clots or failure on the part of healthcare professionals to spot the signs of blood clots can leave you with serious health problems.

What is the difference between a blood clot, DVT and pulmonary embolism?

Essentially, DVTs and pulmonary embolisms are blood clots. Due to where they sit in the body, and the serious health problems they can cause, DVT and pulmonary embolisms are classified under their own compensation claims. 

The fundamental difference between DVTs and pulmonary embolisms are as follows. 

DVT

DVT is the name for a blood clot that appears in one of the deep veins of your body. DVT can occur following surgery, an extended stay in hospital, or occasionally after a long-haul flight. 

DVT compensation claims can arise if your medical practitioner has failed to diagnose your DVT, failed to identify the risks or administer the appropriate medication. 

Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolisms usually occur as a result of untreated DVT. A blood clot is diagnosed as a pulmonary embolism when it blocks blood vessels in your lungs after migrating from elsewhere in your body.

To claim pulmonary embolism compensation, you must have suffered a pulmonary embolism as a direct result of negligent care or blood clot/DVT misdiagnosis. 

Our team of dedicated personal injury experts are well versed in medical negligence pulmonary embolism claims. If you believe you suffered from a DVT or pulmonary embolism due to someone else's negligence, you could be eligible for DVT or pulmonary embolism compensation.

Can I claim compensation for a blood clot?

Blood clots, DVTs and pulmonary embolisms can be treated if diagnosed appropriately and quickly. However, if they are misdiagnosed or ignored, they can have far-reaching, short- and long-term impacts on your life. 

Long-term impacts

If a blood clot is not treated quickly enough, pieces may break off in your circulatory system and cause serious, sometimes fatal, effects. A DVT can end up as a pulmonary embolism, which affects around 28,000 people a year in the UK.

Even successfully treated DVTs can continue to cause issues. Post-thrombotic syndrome can affect blood clot patients. It causes issues such as rashes, swelling, pain and ulcers, leaving you unable to live your everyday life.

You may have suffered a loss of earnings or paid for ongoing medical care and more following your blood clot. If it could have been avoided and someone else's negligence is to blame, we don't believe you should be out of pocket.

To discuss making a claim for compensation for a pulmonary embolism, DVT or blood clot, talk to our team of dedicated experts now.

Can I claim for a blood clot that happened during a stay in hospital?

Hospitals have a duty of care to all patients. Those staying in for extended periods require extra considerations, and blood clots are common in bed-bound patients following surgery. 

Hospitals are required to check for signs of blood clots and DVTs in patients staying in their care. In fact, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) have written procedures for medical checks to be carried out within 24 hours of a patient being hospitalised. These procedures include: 

• Testing for DVTs
• Assessing the increased risk of DVT following surgery
• Taking age, weight and other risk factors into account during a patient's risk assessment for DVT
• Administering anticoagulant medication before, and following, surgery
• Issuing compression stockings for patients to reduce the risk of DVT 

If you have been cared for in hospital and the staff failed to follow NICE guidelines which resulted in you suffering a DVT, they become liable for medical negligence. This opens the possibility of you making a DVT negligence compensation claim.

If you believe the hospital you were admitted to were medically negligent toward you, then contact us on or request a callback as soon as you can.

I suffered a DVT after a long-haul flight - can I claim?

If you suffered a DVT after a flight that was more than four hours long, and your healthcare practitioner did not recognise this risk factor when assessing your symptoms, you could be eligible to make a DVT compensation claim. 

Making your doctor or medical practitioner aware of your recent flight is important, as they will need to know all the relevant details relating to your symptoms. If they still misdiagnose your DVT, you could claim for DVT negligence compensation.

Claiming against airlines

The risk of DVT associated with long-haul flights are well publicised and are frequently cautioned by the aviation industry. Claiming DVT compensation from an airline is extremely difficult, and most cases are unsuccessful.

Am I eligible to make a no win no fee blood clot compensation claim?

If you have suffered a blood clot, DVT or pulmonary embolism in the past three years that was made worse due to someone else's negligence, you could be eligible to make a no win no fee blood clot or DVT compensation claim.

Making a deep vein thrombosis claim under a no win no fee agreement is a cost-effective way to claim. You will need to have the correct insurance before making your claim - don't worry, though, we can help you get your coverage arranged.

Even if you're unsure if your blood clot was made worse by someone else's negligent behaviour or you're nearing the end of the three years since it happened, we could still help. Request a callback from our team to talk about your case or call us on .

Why choose National Accident Helpline?

With over years_since years of experience, we have helped over 2 million people across the UK understand whether they have a claim. 

As the UK's leading provider of personal injury advice, we have built up a solid reputation and earned a coveted ‘Excellent' rating on Trustpilot. 

Our team of personal injury experts aim to take the stress out of making a blood clot claim. Talk to us today and see how we can help you get the blood clot compensation you deserve.