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VTE occurs in the veins that carry blood to your heart. A deep vein thrombosis may occur if the flow of blood slows down in your body’s deep veins, if something damages the blood vessel lining, or if the makeup of the blood itself changes so that blood clots form more easily. A pulmonary embolism (PE) refers to an embolus from a deep vein blood clot that breaks loose and travels to the lungs, blocking an artery in the lung. Blood clots can develop in veins damaged by surgery or trauma, or a result of inflammation in response to an infection or injury.
Learn more about how blood clots form.