- What can cause pulmonary embolism
- Main symptoms
- How the treatment is done
- Can pulmonary thrombosis be cured?
- Possible sequelae
Pulmonary embolism, also known as pulmonary thrombosis, occurs when a clot clogs a blood vessel in the lung, preventing the passage of blood and causing the progressive death of the affected part, resulting in pain when breathing and severe shortness of breath.
Due to difficulty in breathing and lung damage, the amount of oxygen in the blood decreases and organs throughout the body can be affected, especially when there are multiple clots, or the embolism lasts for a long time, causing massive embolism or pulmonary infarction.
Thus, pulmonary embolism is a serious problem that can be life-threatening and should be treated as soon as possible in the hospital with medications directly in the vein, oxygen and, in some cases, surgery.
What can cause pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary thrombosis is usually caused by a blood clot, or thrombus, which travels from another part of the body to the lung, becoming trapped and preventing the passage of blood to a part of the lung.
Some factors that increase the risk of having clots and developing this problem include:
- History of deep vein thrombosis; Family history of pulmonary embolism; Fractures of the legs or hips; Coagulation problems; History of infarction or stroke; Obesity and sedentary lifestyle.
However, embolism can also be caused by other, rarer causes, such as air bubbles, in the case of pneumothorax, or in the presence of fragments capable of obstructing a blood vessel, such as fat droplets, for example. Learn how fat can cause a fat embolism.
Main symptoms
The most common symptom of pulmonary embolism is the intense sensation of shortness of breath, which may appear suddenly or worsen over time, depending on the size of the affected lung area.
However, other symptoms such as chest pain, coughing up blood or bluish skin, especially on the fingers, can also be a sign of pulmonary thrombosis. Check out a more complete list of all symptoms.
How the treatment is done
The treatment of pulmonary embolism must be done at the hospital with injectable anticoagulant drugs, such as Heparin, to stimulate the clot to dissolve and allow blood to pass and, in severe cases, drugs called thrombolytics, which are extremely effective to dissolve thrombi quickly.
The doctor may also prescribe painkillers, such as Paracetamol or Tramadol, to relieve chest pain and facilitate breathing, in addition to the fact that it is usually necessary to use the oxygen mask to assist breathing and blood oxygenation.
Normally, you need to be hospitalized for at least 3 days, but in the most severe cases or when it was not possible to use drugs to dissolve the clot, it may even be necessary to have surgery to remove this thrombus, called an embolectomy, and, therefore, hospitalization may last for more days. Learn more about the treatment of embolism and when surgery is indicated.
Can pulmonary thrombosis be cured?
Pulmonary embolism, despite being a medical emergency and situation, when it is treated correctly and quickly has good chances of cure and does not always leave sequelae. The most common sequel to this situation is the decrease in oxygen in a given region, which can lead to the death of these tissues and problems in the affected organ.
Possible sequelae
Most of the time, pulmonary embolism is treated in a timely manner and, therefore, there are no serious sequelae. However, if the treatment is not done correctly or if there is a very large area of the affected lung, very serious sequelae such as heart failure or cardiac arrest can occur, which can be life-threatening.
