Pulmonary Embolism
By: Sydney Wyatt, Taylor Gahagan
What is Pulmonary Embolism?
Pulmonary Embolism is is a sudden blockage in the lung artery. the blockage is usually caused by a blood clot that travels to the lungs from a vein in the leg
What are the Symptoms?
anxiety,
clammy or bluish skin
chest pain that may extend to the arm,neck,jaw and shoulder
fainting
irregular heartbeat
lightheadedness
rapid breathing
spitting up blood
weak pulse
How is Pulmonary Embolism Diagnosed
Doctors will do chest x-rays
computerized tomography ( cat scan)
duplex venous ultrasound
computerized tomography
pulmonary angiography
duplex venous ultrasound
How is Pulmonary Embolism treated
Depending on size and location
Anticoagulants: Also called blood thinners the drugs heparin and warfarin prevents new blood clots from forming they can save your life in an emergency situation
Clot dissolvers: speeds up the break down of a clot they are typically reserved for emergency situations because side effects may include dangerous problems
Prognosis
The prognosis depends on many factors the bigger the clot and the larger the blood vessel that it is blocking the more serious the condition is. the outlook may be poor with big clots or clots blocking larger vessels especially if they are not diagnosed and treated quickly. A undiagnosed P.E will always result in death.
Pulmonary Embolism What Is a Pulmonary Embolism Video