Vascular condition
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a blood clot in a deep vein, often in the leg. This page is for general education. It cannot diagnose a clot or tell you whether your swelling or pain is caused by DVT.
What DVT is
A clot in a deep vein can interfere with blood returning toward the heart. DVT is a venous condition. It is not the same as PAD, which involves arteries.
A piece of clot can sometimes travel to the lungs. That is a medical emergency. This website cannot determine whether that has happened.
Symptoms are not a diagnosis
Swelling, warmth, redness, or pain in a leg can have many causes, including problems that are not a clot. Those symptoms do not prove DVT.
A physician uses history, examination, and testing when DVT needs to be considered. Do not wait on a website if you are worried about a clot.
Emergency warning
Call 911 or seek emergency care for sudden trouble breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, fainting, or a suddenly swollen, painful leg if you are concerned you need urgent care.
The office telephone is not the right first step for a suspected emergency.
Evaluation and follow-up
If DVT has already been diagnosed, or if another physician asked for cardiovascular follow-up, our office can help you ask about a visit. Treatment of a clot, when needed, is individualized and is not directed by this website.
Heart rhythm conditions such as atrial fibrillation can also relate to clot-risk discussions in some people. That is a separate topic and still requires physician judgment.
When to contact the office
Call during weekday hours for non-emergency questions about evaluation or follow-up in Reseda. For emergencies, call 911.
Outside education links are provided for additional reading. Those organizations do not endorse Dr. Polosajian or Cardiac Rhythm Specialists.