Overview
Pulmonary Embolism is a common and fatal disease. It happens due to obstruction of Pulmonary Artery or one of its branches by thrombus, tumor, air or fat that originated elsewhere in body. It is the most common cause of cardiac arrest.
Symptoms
- Dyspnea(shortness of breath) at rest or with exertion.
- Chest pain(pleuritic)
- Cough
- Orthopnea- Feeling of shortness of breath when lying down and gets comfortable while sitting or standing.
- Erythema- Rashes or redness on the skin
- Pain in calf or thigh muscles
- Swelling
- Haemoptysis- Coughing of blood
- Arrhythmia- Irregular heartbeat
- Syncope- Fainting
- Pre-syncope
Types
- Segmental- It affects the more distal pulmonary arterial branches.
- Sub segmental
- Lobar or saddle- When a blood clot gets stuck in the main pulmonary artery
- Embolus- When an embolus severely blocks the flow of blood.
Treatment
- Low molecular weight Heparin
- Followed by Warfarin
Difference between provoked and unprovoked Pulmonary Embolism
Provoked–
- When embolism occurs for a reason known to us like-
- Malignancy
- Morbid Obesity
- Active inflammatory bowel disease
- Active auto-immune disease
- Long haul flights
- Continued hormonal therapy etc
Unprovoked– When embolism happens due to unknown reasons.
Every year 1, 00,000 people die in U.S because of Pulmonary Embolism. Its mortality rate is 30%. We must be aware of the symptoms of pulmonary embolism to prevent lives.
Watch video by Dr. Sanjay Sen
