Pulmonary Embolism Flashcards
what is an embolism
when material moves from its site of origin to elsewhere in the circulation
what is a pulmonary embolism
and embolus that passes in the right side of the heart and becomes lodged in the pulmonary arteries
name some things that could embolise
air, amniotic fluid, fat, foreign object, thrombus
how may a fat embolism occur
after a long bone break
what increases the risk of a PE
DVT, surgery, trauma, cancer, long journeys
what are the signs and symptoms of a PE
breathlessness, coughing up blood, substernal and pleuritic chest pain
what should the CXR look like in a PE
normal
what would be different in the ECG of someone with a PE
big S1 waves, big Q3 waves and inverted T3 waves
what imaging of the heart is carried out for a PT
CT pulmonary angiography
what are D dimers
fibrin degradation products which are produced when the coagulation system is activated
what is the immediate treatment for a PE
oxygen and heparin
what does heparin do to help a PE
prevents propagation of the embolus in the pulmonary arteries and the site of origin - this gives the body fibrinolytic system time to break down the clot
what can be given/done to high risk patients
exogenous fibrinolytics
could removes embolus via a catheter or surgically
what should be given after the initial heparin
warfarin
what happens to the R ventricle in a PE
it has an increased pressure and work load - this causes he actin and myosin fibres to be overstretched causes R ventricle dilation
