Question:
Blood clots while in hospital

Has anyone developed a blood clot on the lung after their surgery while still in the hopital    — janice C. (posted on May 25, 2002)

May 25, 2002
My wife and I both had surgery on March 7th 2002 (an hour apart) and my wife developed a clot (I guess) immediately after surgery...it was found day 3 post-op when they did the post-op doppler tests. She is on Coumadin now until 3 months has passed and they will do a new check. However, I developed a clot a little over a month after surgery. It started out as a severe leg cramp which showed nothing with a new doppler test...so it was deemed as a common cramp and it was treated with Quinine. A few weeks later, I felt like someone stabbed me in the right lung and a few days later, the left lung. I developed a large clot in the same spot the cramp was and it shot 1 large clot to my right lung and 2 smaller clots to the left. I had emergency surgery where an umbrella filter was put in through the groin and beneath my lung to catch any further shooters (the leg clot is a floating clot) and am now also on Coumadin to help dissolve the clots.
   — Glenn M.

May 28, 2002
My dear friend developed 11 blood clots in her lungs while she was still in the hospital after her surgery. She never got a chance to go home after her surgery. She died shortly after she started complaining of shortness of breath despite all CPR efforts to revive her. I wonder if there was any test that could have been done to find out that she had the clots and anything that could have been done to save her if they could have found out that she had the clots?
   — Hackett

May 28, 2002
Look into having a Greenfield Filter inserted at the time of surgery. It prevents large blood clots. I wouldn't have had my surgery without it.
   — JoanneML

October 8, 2003
I had my surgery January 8th, 2003 and was released from the hospital January 11th in the afternoon. I knew upon leaving the hospital that something was wrong. I tried to lay down when I got home to no avail...couldn't lay flat and felt horrible pain in lung area and couldn't seem to catch my breath. Decided to try sleeping sitting up on couch...woke around 2am with severe lung spasms and couldn't breathe. Husband rushed me to ER and after numerous tests discovered several pulmonary emboli in each of my lungs. Drs told my family and husband they didnt expect me to live through the night. Was placed on high alert heparin and sent to the CCU for over a week and a half...but I'm here to tell about it! I did all of the right things...was actually up walking the night of my surgery. The nurses couldnt believe how active I was. Sometimes blood clots just happen to people--its a risk of the surgery and I knew that going into it.
   — MelissaWenrich