This article is about the vascular phenomenon. For other uses, see Embolism (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with ebullism or aneurysm.
Medical condition
Embolism
Micrograph of embolic material in the artery of a kidney. The kidney was surgically removed because of cancer. H&E stain.
Specialty
Vascular surgery
An embolism is the lodging of an embolus, a blockage-causing piece of material, inside a blood vessel.[1] The embolus may be a blood clot (thrombus), a fat globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid embolism), or foreign material.
An embolism can cause partial or total blockage of blood flow in the affected vessel.[2] Such a blockage (vascular occlusion) may affect a part of the body distant from the origin of the embolus. An embolism in which the embolus is a piece of thrombus is called a thromboembolism.
An embolism is usually a pathological event, caused by illness or injury. Sometimes it is created intentionally for a therapeutic reason, such as to stop bleeding or to kill a cancerous tumor by stopping its blood supply. Such therapy is called embolization.
^Dorland's (2012). Dowland's Illustrated Medical Dictionary (32nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 606. ISBN 978-1-4160-6257-8.
globule (fat embolism), a bubble of air or other gas (gas embolism), amniotic fluid (amniotic fluid embolism), or foreign material. An embolism can cause...
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms...
An air embolism, also known as a gas embolism, is a blood vessel blockage caused by one or more bubbles of air or other gas in the circulatory system....
Arterial embolism is a sudden interruption of blood flow to an organ or body part due to an embolus adhering to the wall of an artery blocking the flow...
Fat embolism syndrome occurs when fat enters the blood stream (fat embolism) and results in symptoms. Symptoms generally begin within a day. This may...
as an "embolism." An embolism can cause ischemia—damage to an organ from lack of oxygen. A paradoxical embolism is a specific type of embolism in which...
A septic embolism is a type of embolism that is infected with bacteria, resulting in the formation of pus. These may become dangerous if dislodged from...
An amniotic fluid embolism (AFE) is a life-threatening childbirth (obstetric) emergency in which amniotic fluid enters the blood stream of the mother,...
Cholesterol embolism occurs when cholesterol is released, usually from an atherosclerotic plaque, and travels as an embolus in the bloodstream to lodge...
(embolizes) and flows to the lungs to lodge there, it becomes a pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot in the lungs. The conditions of DVT only, DVT with PE...
and pulmonary embolism. The most common cause is a viral infection. Other causes include bacterial infection, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, autoimmune...
travel through the circulation and lodge somewhere else as an embolism. This type of embolism is known as a thromboembolism. Complications can arise when...
stroke and embolism in people with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prevention. DVTs may lead to pulmonary embolism (PE) in knee...
creating blockages. When an embolus occludes a blood vessel, it is called an embolism or embolic event. There are a number of different types of emboli, including...
a high chance that the person has a pulmonary embolism, but when the sign is absent a pulmonary embolism is not ruled out. Hampton AO, Castleman B (1940)...
image of the pulmonary arteries. Its main use is to diagnose pulmonary embolism (PE). It is a preferred choice of imaging in the diagnosis of PE due to...
[citation needed] Mostly the result of a thromboembolism. Commonly the embolism is caused by atrial fibrillation, valvular disease, myocardial infarction...
or aviators flying in inadequately pressurised aircraft. Arterial gas embolism (AGE), which is perfusion blockage caused by gas bubbles in the arterial...
such as laryngeal edema, bronchospasm, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, or pneumothorax. Patients with COPD and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis...
resulting from constriction (such as vasoconstriction, thrombosis, or embolism). Ischemia causes not only insufficiency of oxygen, but also reduced availability...
level of the great vessels or the heart itself. Causes include pulmonary embolism, cardiac tamponade, and tension pneumothorax. These are all life-threatening...
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman...
embolus and lodge in a pulmonary artery in the lungs, known as a pulmonary embolism. The decision to treat deep vein thrombosis depends on its size, symptoms...
within a blood vessel, it blocks blood flow and is termed as an embolism. Embolisms, depending on their specific location, can cause more significant...
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