Pulmonary Embolism Flashcards
What are the most common sources of arterial thromboemboli?
Heart (most common), Mural thrombi (left atrium, left ventricle), Vegetative mural endocarditis, Valvular endocarditis, Prosthetic heart valve, Cardiomyopathy, Lungs (pulmonary veins), Systemic (thrombi in pelvic veins, aortic atherosclerosis, carotid atherosclerosis, aortic aneurysm, thrombi in the right side of heart, thrombi in the veins of the upper limbs).
What is pulmonary embolism?
Pulmonary embolism is the most common and fatal form of venous thromboembolism in which there is occlusion of the pulmonary arterial tree by thrombemboli.
What is the most common cause of pulmonary emboli?
Thrombi originating from large veins of lower legs (such as popliteal, femoral, and iliac) are the cause in 95% of pulmonary emboli.
What are the risk factors for pulmonary thromboembolism?
Stasis of venous blood and hypercoagulable states.
What are the consequences of pulmonary embolism?
1) Sudden death, 2) Acute cor pulmonale, 3) Pulmonary infarction, 4) Pulmonary hemorrhage, 5) Resolution, 6) Pulmonary hypertension, chronic cor pulmonale, and pulmonary arteriosclerosis.
What is the difference between pulmonary thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism?
Pulmonary thrombosis is locally formed and firmly adherent, while pulmonary thromboembolism is disseminated from a distance and loosely attached or lying free.
What is the most common type of venous thromboembolism?
Deep vein thrombosis (most common).
What is the typical clinical feature of massive pulmonary embolism?
Instantaneous death without occurrence of chest pain or dyspnoea.
What can cause pulmonary infarction?
Obstruction of relatively small-sized pulmonary arterial branches.
What is paradoxical embolism?
Paradoxical embolism may occur by passage of an embolus from the right heart into the left heart through atrial or ventricular septal defect.
