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PULMONARY EMBOLISM

Friday, October 25, 2019

The blood clots from the legs or sometimes from other areas of the body travel to the lungs causing a pulmonary embolism. The blocks occur in the pulmonary arteries of the lungs and these clots blocks blood flow to the lungs. It can get life-threatening if not treated at the right time opines the Best Cardiac Surgeons in Hyderabad from KIMS Hospitals.


Symptoms :

The size of the clots and how much of the lungs are affected and any heart ailments along with it together contribute to the symptoms for pulmonary embolism. They include:

  • Chest Pain: Whenever you take a deep breath; when you bend, stoop or cough the pain in the chest increases
  • Shortness of Breath: You gasp for breath with the lightest of the exercises
  • Cough: Cough in your blood or sputum with blood
  • Swelling: Swelling in the leg or in the calf muscles
  • Cyanosis: Skin gets discolored

The other symptoms include sweating, fever, irregular heartbeat, dizziness. If you experience any of these symptoms visit your physician


Causes :

KIMS Hospitals, the Best Cardiology Hospitals in Hyderabad India, opine that the deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary infarction contribute to pulmonary embolism. Let’s take a look at how it causes this condition :

  • Deep Vein Thrombosis: The clots from the deep veins in the legs travel to the lungs causing blocks in the arteries of the lungs.
  • Pulmonary Infarction: The arteries in the lungs are cut off from blood supply.

Thereby the oxygen supply to the rest of the body gets depleted because of the dead arteries in the lungs.

The others include air bubbles, collagen, a part of the tumor, fat from the bone marrow from a broken long bone can also cause a pulmonary embolism.


Risk Factors :

There are several risk factors that act on the lungs causing pulmonary embolism explains the KIMS Hospitals- the intensive cardiac care in Hyderabad. They include :

  • Blood clots
  • Family history of venous clots
  • Heart disease such as cardiovascular disease
  • Cancer in pancreas, ovary, lungs and metastasized cancer in other organs
  • Clots formed after a surgery such as a joint replacement
  • No physical activity after surgery especially when you are advised for bed rest clots are formed
  • Long travels slow down the blood flow in the body causing clots
  • Other factors such as smoking, being obese, and birth control pills and during pregnancy the slow blood return from the legs can cause blood clots causing a pulmonary embolism.


Diagnosis :

The diagnosis is difficult unless you have had these tests. They include:

  • Blood Tests for D Dimer: An elevated level indicates that you are prone to have a blood clot.
  • Chest x-ray: Shows conditions that can cause the disease although it’s not a very right approach.
  • Ultrasound: It’s a non-invasive test where a transducer is used to direct the sound waves into your veins which enable in detecting any clots.
  • Spiral CT scan: Detects abnormal arteries in the lungs with great precision
  • Pulmonary Angiogram: Gives a clear picture of the arteries in the lungs and the presence of any clots
  • MRI: Uses the radio waves and magnetic field to find clots in its images


Medications :

The earlier treatment chances of survival increases otherwise its life-threatening. The medications include :

1. Blood Thinners: Heparin and other novel oral anticoagulants are very effective in treating venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism.

2. Clot dissolvers: Thrombolytics medications stops bleeding, dissolves clots.

3. Surgical removal: A very large clot can be removed through a catheter procedure

4. Vein Filter: A catheter is used to position a vein filter in the body main vein. This prevents clots from being carried into the veins.


Why KIMS Hospitals?

KIMS Hospitals is the best cardiology hospitals in Hyderabad India as they have a medical team that gives a clear diagnosis of the pulmonary embolism. It’s rated the best intensive cardiac centres in Hyderabad for the amount of successful recovery rates of their patients. The complete care given to them have healed them and are able to lead healthy lives thereby.

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