The cardiovascular diseases

THE PULMONARY EMBOLISM

- Definition
- A few explanations
- The Symptoms
- How to make the pulmonary embolism diagnosis?
- The diagnosis of seriousness
- The Causes
- Evolution
- Treatment
- Conclusion

DEFINITION

A pulmonary embolism is defined as a total or partial obliteration of the pulmonary arterial network by one or several blood clots. These clots often come from the lower members veins presenting a phlebitis (venous thrombosis).

The migration of the clot into the venous network is going to reach the heart, and then the clot will be ejected into the pulmonary artery after the heart contraction.

The more blood moves away from the heart, the more the calibre of the pulmonary arteries cuts down, which therefore induces the blockage of the clot.

This is a serious pathology, which occurs in about 100,000 people per year in France for example, causing about 10,000 deaths.

The pulmonary embolism therefore remains a major challenge in medicine, in spite of the progresses achieved in its prevention, diagnosis and treatment. It is still nowadays a frequent and serious affection, staking the vital prognosis, and constituting a cardiologic emergency.

Because of the absence of characteristic symptoms, it is often unappreciated.

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File last reviewed on dec 18, 2011