Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism

Chest spiral CT scan with radiocontrast agent showing multiple filling defects both at the bifurcation ("saddle" pulmonary embolism) and in the pulmonary arteries.
Classification and external resources
Specialty	Hematology, cardiology, pulmonology
ICD-10	I26
ICD-9-CM	415.1
DiseasesDB	10956
MedlinePlus	000132
eMedicine	med/1958 emerg/490 radio/582
Patient UK	Pulmonary embolism
MeSH	D011655
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Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has traveled from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream (embolism). Symptoms of a PE may include shortness of breath, chest pain particularly upon breathing in, and coughing up blood. Symptoms of a blood clot in the leg may also be present such as a red, warm, swollen, and painful leg. Signs of a PE include low blood oxygen levels, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate, and sometimes a mild fever. Severe cases can lead to passing out, abnormally low blood pressure, and sudden death.

PE usually results from a blood clot in the leg that travels to the lung. The risk of blood clots is increased by cancer, prolonged bed rest, smoking, stroke, certain genetic conditions, pregnancy, obesity, and after some types of surgery. A small proportion of cases are due to the embolization of air, fat, or amniotic fluid. Diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms in combination with test results. If the risk is low a blood test known as a D-dimer will rule out the condition. Otherwise a CT pulmonary angiography, lung ventilation/perfusion scan, or ultrasound of the legs may confirm the diagnosis. Together deep vein thrombosis and PE are known as venous thromboembolism (VTE).