As the word "embolism" suggests, the protagonist of the obstructive phenomenon affecting one of the aforementioned vessels is an embolus circulating in the blood.
In most cases, pulmonary embolism is a complication of deep vein thrombosis; in such circumstances, the embolus responsible for the obstruction is a blood clot resulting from the breakdown of a thrombus formed, most often, in a deep vein of the leg.
Typical symptoms of pulmonary embolism consist of: dyspnoea, chest pain, cough, cyanosis, dizziness and irregular heartbeat.
When pulmonary embolism is due to deep vein thrombosis, the planned first-line therapy is based on the administration of anticoagulant drugs; however, in some specific circumstances, thrombolytic drugs and more invasive treatments (embolectomy and caval filter) may also be necessary. ).
The pulmonary arteries are the complex of blood vessels responsible for transporting the oxygen-poor blood from the right ventricle to the lungs for the process of oxygenation; therefore, these are fundamental elements not only for the cardiovascular system, but also for the well-being and survival of the human organism.
Pulmonary embolism is so called because the protagonist of the obstruction is an embolus.
In medicine, the term "embolus" identifies any anomalous insoluble mass circulating in the blood, capable, if it reaches an "artery or vein of the same size, to interrupt the blood flow in a way similar to a plug.
The thrombus should not be confused with thrombus and the phenomenon of thrombosis; in fact, there are at least a couple of substantial differences between the two entities:
- First of all, the thrombus has always and only a sanguine nature; it is in fact an insoluble abnormal blood clot; the embolus, on the other hand, can have very different natures: it can be an abnormal blood clot, a cholesterol crystal, an air bubble, etc. (Re-reading the definition of an embolus, the reader will notice that the embolus is defined simply as an "abnormal mass").
- Secondly, while the "embolus is a" mobile entity circulating freely in the blood until it reaches a vessel of its own size, the thrombus is a fixed presence, anchored to the inner wall of a blood vessel.
