Pulmonary Embolism – More Than a Clot in the Lung

Pulmonary Embolism has become almost a household problem across the world. This fatal disease has taken many lives in USA. This article has divulged the basic questions and issues pertaining to pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary embolism, a common & dangerous disease, has become a menace in today’s time. In US alone, around 1 million cases of pulmonary embolism have been found. The scene is really dangerous as 1/4th of pulmonary embolism cases cause sudden death. And 1/3rd of the cases are fatal in nature. Those who survive from PE (Pulmonary Embolism) can lead to decreased life expectancy. Therefore, it is really important to get diagnosed at the initial stage and get treated. But before getting treated by a doctor, a person should know what that is exactly.

Pulmonary Embolism – Definition

Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is refers to the clot trapped inside of a lung. The clot, trapped inside a lung which may cause blockage in flow of blood. This clot is extremely dangerous if not treated in a proper manner.

Signs & Symptoms of PE

The most common symptom of Pulmonary Embolism is the shortness of breath. Shortness breath can occur really rapidly, either resting or performing.

Barring shortness of breath, there are various other symptoms such as:

• Chest Pain
• Dizziness
• Unconsciousness

Even leg swelling or leg pain can cause clot in the leg and leads to pulmonary embolism.

Determining the Seriousness of PE

However, that doesn’t mean clot amounts to PE. The seriousness of determining the pulmonary embolism is primarily dependent on one thing – the amount of strain is felt on the right part of the heart. The terms associated with PE are massive, lower risk or submassive.

1. Massive PE

Massive PEs is an extremely high-risk problem. People who are suffering from massive PEs are unstable & prone to sudden cardiac arrest. Patients who have this are high risk for sudden death. Patients who fall in this category often remain unstable and require proper medications to support their heart condition & also require an insertion of breathing tube. Treatment of massive PE is most of the times aggressive & emergent.

1. Submassive PE

Submassive PE suggests that criteria for massive PE are not met. In this stage, patients remain relatively stable. However, there are still some evidences of right-sided heart dysfunction. Though the risk is much lesser than massive PE; it is still considered as high-risk group of poor outcomes.

1. Other PE

Barring the above two, there are many different PE falls into the group. There is no particular evidence of the right-sided heart dysfunction and patients are also considered as stable. There is no particular role for the overly aggressive treatments. The mainstay of the treatment is to start blood-thinning.

As one of the top Cardiologists in Orange County, we offer all types of treatments & advices pertaining to pulmonary embolism. As a heart-specialist, we are committed in making this world free from heart related diseases.