When To Call a Doctor

Call 911 or other emergency services if you:

• Have a sudden onset of shortness of breath and/or chest pain. Chest pain from a blood clot that travels to the lungs (pulmonary embolism) often gets worse with deep breathing.
• Are coughing up blood (hemoptysis).
• Faint or lose consciousness (syncope).

Call your doctor immediately if you have:

• Swelling, warmth, or tenderness in the soft tissues of your leg.
• Pain in your leg that gets worse when you stand or walk. This is especially important if there is also swelling or redness in your leg.

Watchful Waiting

Watchful waiting is not appropriate if you think you have a blood clot in your leg (deep vein thrombosis). Call your doctor if you are not sure whether you need to be seen right away. If you have symptoms of a blood clot in your leg, you should be seen immediately.

Who To See

Health professionals who can diagnose a blood clot (thrombus) in the leg include:

• Nurse practitioners.
• Physician assistants.
• Family medicine doctors.
• Internists.
• Surgeons.
• Emergency room doctors.

To prepare for your appointment, see the topic Making the Most of Your Appointment.