How fast does a dvt in the calf area travel to the heart if broken off or small enough to travel?

Less than a minute: Circulation time from the leg is very short. A clot in the legs can go to the lungs in less than a minute. The clot goes up the inferior vena cava to the right heart and through the right ventricle where it lodges in the pulmonary veins of the lung (called a pulmonary embolism).

Immediate: If a piece of clot breaks off and travels, it can get to the long too quickly to do anything about trying to stop it.