Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary embolism is the continuation of thrombosis: the thrombus breaks off and travels to the lung, where it obstructs circulation. It can be fatal and often has no symptoms
As the blood inside the veins always travels to the heart, and from there to the lungs via the pulmonary arteries, when a venous thrombus (or blood clot) ruptures and disengages from the wall of the vein where it has formed (then called an embolus) it ultimately ends up in the arteries of the lungs.
Once there, it occludes the interior of one or more pulmonary arteries, and this is pulmonary embolism (PE). The pulmonary artery then fails to oxygenate the blood inside it, resulting in respiratory failure and an overload on the heart, which struggles to pump the occluded blood more forcefully forward.
Pulmonary embolism is sometimes fatal.
RELATED QUESTIONS
What is the difference between thrombus, clot and embolism?
When we make a cut and blood comes out, it ends up clotting. The spilled blood becomes solid, and this is a clot. It is a defence mechanism of the organism to prevent us from bleeding to death. When this same mechanism occurs inside the body, we speak of a thrombus and not a clot. It is the same thing, but one inside and the other outside the body. When a thrombus disengages from the vein or artery where it was formed and travels through the circulation, we speak of an embolus. Emboli travel through veins and/or arteries until they enter a narrowing artery. It then reaches a point where it can no longer travel, and it impacts and totally occludes the lumen of the vessel, causing the embolism.
I am 26 years old and two years ago I had a pulmonary embolism after appendicitis surgery. Even today I have discomfort, sometimes my lung (the one of the PE) hurts, like needles and pins and my breathing becomes heavier. Is this normal after an episode like this?
It is normal, yes. After a pulmonary embolism, some areas of the lung can be injured or swollen, which might cause sharp pain, especially with breathing movements. They can last months, or even years. If you have already gone to your doctor and he has ruled out a new embolism, don’t worry.
I went into hospital with pneumonia in both lungs. I had a lot of pain and they didn't put me on heparin, but I think I have a high risk of pulmonary embolism, as I weigh about 150 kilos, and not taking heparin gave me the embolism. Should I have been given it?
If you were admitted to hospital for pneumonia and were not given heparin, you have to think that there is also a reason why you were not given heparin. Heparin reduces the risk of developing a pulmonary embolism, but in some cases it causes bleeding. Your doctors probably thought that in your specific case the risk of bleeding outweighed the risk of thrombosis, and therefore did not prescribe it.
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July 2024
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