How To Prevent Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a condition when the pulmonary artery is blocked. The blood vessels called pulmonary arteries carry blood from the heart to your lungs. Find out the causes of pulmonary embolism, as well as what treatments can be done including surgery and how to live afterward, in the article How To Prevent Pulmonary Embolism: Symptoms, Diagnosis, Causes, and Treatment.

 

What is a pulmonary embolism?

A pulmonary embolism refers to a blockage in one of the pulmonary vessels. In many cases, the condition is caused by clots of frozen blood flowing to the lungs of the legs, or less frequently than other parts of the body (deep vein thrombosis).

Clots block blood flow to the lungs, so the condition can be life-threatening if not treated immediately. You can prevent pulmonary embolism by taking steps to prevent blood clots from your legs.

 

How common is this condition?

In many cases, pulmonary embolism is a condition commonly experienced by the elderly, especially those over 70 years of age and obese. Even so, this condition can also attack young people because of hereditary thrombotics.

A pulmonary embolism is considered dangerous because it can lead to death. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States, the number of people with pulmonary embolism in the U.S. reaches 200,000 people each year, and nearly a third end up dying.

 

What causes pulmonary embolism?

Pulmonary embolism occurs when the arteries that carry blood flow to the lungs are blocked. Most often, this blockage is caused by a bloodclot.

The blood clot can occur due to several causes, such as:

 

Low physical activity

Low physical activity can cause blood to gather in the lower part of the body, especially the lower limbs.

A person who does not move for a long period may experience a slowing blood flow condition. This occurs mainly in individuals after experiencing severe illnesses such as stroke, postoperative, injury while traveling long distances by airplane, train, or car.

 

Damage to blood vessels

When blood vessel damage occurs, the inner lining of the blood vessels may experience narrowing or blockage.

This could lead to blood clots. Damage to these blood vessels can result from injuries such as fractures or severe muscle damage.

 

Blood clotting disorders

Blood clotting disorders cause the formation of blood clots to become easier to arise. This blood clot also increases the risk of pulmonary embolism. Conditions that increase the risk of blood clots in the body such as cancer or heart failure.

In addition to blood clotting disorders, embolisms in the arteries of the lungs can also be caused by other materials, such as:

• Air bubbles
• Fat from broken bone marrow
• Collection of bacteria, fungi, or parasites
• Part of the tumor
• Amniotic fluid

Some other factors may also increase the risk of pulmonary embolisms, such as being over the age of 60, having a history of blood clots in the body, having family members with a history of blood clots in the body, being overweight or obese, pregnancy, and smoking.

 

What are the symptoms of pulmonary embolism and what can they be done?

The most characteristic signs and symptoms of pulmonary embolism are:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain, this condition can last in minutes to hours
• Bloody cough
• Fast heart rate

As for the so-called pulmonary edema. The disease is characterized by symptoms of difficulty breathing. Find out more about it, so you can distinguish which diseases you may have.

 

Other symptoms include:

• Nausea or vomiting
• Dizziness or headache
• Low blood pressure
• Faint
• Perspire
• Sounds when breathing
• Sweaty hands
• Bluish skin