Pulmonary Embolus
Pulmonary embolus is the presence of a clot of blood in a branch of the pulmonary artery. An embolus is something that’s come from somewhere else in the circulation. The usual source of the blood clot is from one of the deep veins of the leg, following a period of immobility. Classically this occurs 10 days after major surgery, but it can follow any period of immobility, such as can happen on long aeroplane flights. If the clot is large it can cause collapse and sudden death (30 to 40,000 cases per year in the UK); if it is small it may simply cause pain over the area of the lung affected. There may be associated shortness of breath, and a cough producing blood stained sputum. The treatment is to thin the blood to prevent further emboli. It's better, of course, to prevent the formation of the clot in the first place - people on long plane journeys should keep moving their legs and feet. Since pulmonary emboli are more likely in patients with either problems with their blood clotting mechanisms (see circulation) or an underlying Cancer, any sufferer should be investigated.
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