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Pulmonary embolism is a serious condition and should be treated as soon as possible in the hospital, to avoid putting your life at risk. If symptoms appear that lead to suspicion of pulmonary embolism, such as a sudden sensation of shortness of breath, severe cough or severe chest pain, it is advisable to go to the emergency room to assess the situation and start treatment, if necessary. See other symptoms that may indicate a pulmonary embolism.
When there are strong suspicions of pulmonary embolism, treatment can be started even before the diagnosis is confirmed and, usually, it is done with administration of oxygen and injection of an anticoagulant directly into the vein, which is a medication that helps to prevent the clot manage to increase in size or that new clots may form, worsening the condition.
If diagnostic tests, such as chest X-rays or pulmonary angiography, confirm the diagnosis of embolism, the person needs to be hospitalized to continue treatment for more days with anticoagulants and thrombolytics, which are another type of medication that help to dissolve clots that already exist.
When surgery is necessary
Surgery to treat pulmonary embolism is usually done when the use of anticoagulants and thrombolytics is not enough to improve symptoms and dissolve the clot that is preventing the passage of blood to the lung.
In such cases, surgery is necessary in which the doctor inserts a thin flexible tube, known as a catheter, through an artery in the arm or leg until it reaches the clot in the lung, removing it.
A catheter can also be used to place a filter in the main vein, called the inferior vena cava, preventing clots from moving through the bloodstream into the lungs. This filter is usually placed on people who cannot take anticoagulant drugs.
How long do you need to stay
After eliminating the lung clot, it is usually necessary to stay in hospital to ensure that no new clots appear and to monitor that the oxygen levels in the body are normalized.
When the condition seems to be stabilized, the doctor discharges, but usually also prescribes anticoagulant medications, such as Warfarin or Heparin, which should continue to be used daily at home, as they keep the blood thin and reduce the risk of recurrence. a new clot. Learn more about anticoagulants and the care that must be taken in the treatment.
In addition to these, the doctor may also indicate painkillers to relieve chest pain in the first days and after treatment.
Possible sequelae of embolism
Since pulmonary embolism prevents the passage of blood to a part of the lung, the first sequel is related to decreased gas exchange and, therefore, there is less oxygen available in the blood. When this happens, there is an overload of the heart, which makes it work much faster to try to get the same amount of oxygen to reach the entire body.
Normally, embolism occurs in a small area of the lung, so the person does not suffer serious consequences. However, and although rare, the obstruction can also occur in a larger blood vessel, which is responsible for irrigating a larger part of the lung, in which case the consequences can be more serious because the tissue that does not receive oxygenated blood is retracts and there is no gas exchange in that part of the lung. As a result, the person may have a sudden death, which happens suddenly, or may have pulmonary sequelae, such as pulmonary hypertension.
Signs of improvement
The improvement of symptoms appears a few minutes after the emergency treatment with relief of the difficulty to breathe and decrease of the pain in the chest.
Signs of worsening
The signs of worsening are increased difficulty in breathing and, finally, fainting, due to the decrease in the amount of oxygen in the body. If treatment is not started quickly, serious consequences such as cardiac arrest can be life-threatening.