SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
24/7 HELPLINE (903) 212-7500
  • PATIENT PORTAL LOGIN

PhyNet Health PhyNet Health

  • Home
  • Find a Clinic
    • Hughes Springs, TX
    • Longview, TX
    • Jefferson, TX
    • Kilgore, TX
    • Lindale, TX
    • Linden, TX
    • Gladewater, TX
    • Lone Star, TX
    • Tatum, TX
    • Marshall, TX
  • Health Services
    • Primary Care Services
    • Physical Therapy / Rehab
    • Allergy Testing & Treatment
    • Chronic Care Management
    • Remote Monitoring Program
    • Virtual Visit
  • Resources
    • MedlinePlus Wiki
      • Health Topics
    • Home Health Coordination
    • Transitions of Care
    • Insurance Help
  • About Phynet
    • About Phynet
    • PhyNet News
    • Better Together Stories
    • Careers
  • Billing

Health Topics

Skip navigation

An official website of the United States government

Here’s how you know

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( Lock Locked padlock icon ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Institutes of Health National Library of Medicine
MedlinePlus Trusted Health Information for You
  • Health Topics
  • Drugs & Supplements
  • Genetics
  • Medical Tests
  • Medical Encyclopedia
  • About MedlinePlus
  • About MedlinePlus
  • What's New
  • Site Map
  • Customer Support
  • Health Topics
  • Drugs & Supplements
  • Genetics
  • Medical Tests
  • Medical Encyclopedia
Español
You Are Here:
Home →
Health Topics →
Pulmonary Embolism
URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/pulmonaryembolism.html

Pulmonary Embolism

Also called: Blood clots in the lung
On this page

Basics

  • Summary
  • Start Here
  • Diagnosis and Tests
  • Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

  • Related Issues

See, Play and Learn

  • No links available

Research

  • Statistics and Research
  • Clinical Trials
  • Journal Articles

Resources

  • Reference Desk
  • Find an Expert

For You

  • Patient Handouts

Summary

What is a pulmonary embolism (PE)?

A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. It usually happens when a blood clot breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs. PE is a serious condition that can cause:

  • Permanent damage to the lungs
  • Low oxygen levels in your blood
  • Damage to other organs in your body from not getting enough oxygen

PE can be life-threatening, especially if a clot is large, or if there are many clots.

What causes a pulmonary embolism (PE)?

The cause is usually a blood clot that breaks loose and travels through the bloodstream to the lungs. The clot is usually a deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a clot in the leg. In rare cases, material such as air bubbles, clumps of fat, or parts of a tumor can block the lung artery and cause PE.

Who is more likely to develop a pulmonary embolism (PE)?

Anyone can get a pulmonary embolism (PE), but certain things can raise your risk of PE:

  • Having surgery, especially joint replacement surgery.
  • Certain medical conditions, including
    • Cancers
    • Heart diseases
    • Lung diseases
    • A broken hip or leg bone or other trauma
  • Hormone-based medicines, such as birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy.
  • Pregnancy and childbirth. The risk is highest for about six weeks after childbirth.
  • Not moving for long periods, such as being on bed rest, having a cast, or taking a long plane flight.
  • Age. Your risk increases as you get older, especially after age 40.
  • Family history and genetics. Certain genetic changes that can increase your risk of blood clots and PE.
  • Obesity.

What are the symptoms of a pulmonary embolism (PE)?

Symptoms of PE include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Rapid breathing
  • Chest pain or discomfort, which usually gets worse when you cough or take a deep breath
  • Increased heart rate
  • Coughing up blood
  • Very low blood pressure, lightheadedness, or fainting

Sometimes people with PE don't have any symptoms until they have serious complications, such as pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the arteries to your lungs).

How is a pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed?

It can be difficult to diagnose PE. To find out if you have a PE, your health care provider will:

  • Take your medical history, including asking about your symptoms and risk factors for PE
  • Do a physical exam
  • Likely order some tests, including various imaging and blood tests

What are the treatments for a pulmonary embolism (PE)?

If you have PE, you need medical treatment right away. The goal of treatment is to break up clots and help keep other clots from forming. Treatment options include medicines and procedures.

Medicines:

  • Anticoagulants, or blood thinners, keep blood clots from getting larger and stop new clots from forming. You might get them as an injection, a pill, or through an I.V. (intravenous). They can cause bleeding, especially if you are taking other medicines that also thin your blood, such as aspirin.
  • Thrombolytics are medicines to dissolve blood clots. You may get them if you have large clots that cause severe symptoms or other serious complications. Thrombolytics can cause sudden bleeding, so they are used if your PE is serious and may be life-threatening.

Procedures:

  • Catheter-assisted thrombus removal uses a flexible tube to reach a blood clot in your lung. Your health care provider can insert a tool in the tube to break up the clot or to deliver medicine through the tube. Usually you will get medicine to put you to sleep for this procedure.
  • A vena cava filter may be used in some people who cannot take blood thinners. Your health care provider inserts a filter inside a large vein called the vena cava. The filter catches blood clots before they travel to the lungs, which prevents pulmonary embolism. But the filter does not stop new blood clots from forming.

Can pulmonary embolism (PE) be prevented?

Preventing new blood clots can prevent PE. Prevention may include:

  • Continuing to take blood thinners. It's also important to get regular checkups with your provider, to make sure that the dosage of your medicines is working to prevent blood clots but not causing bleeding.
  • Heart-healthy lifestyle changes, such as heart-healthy eating, exercise, and, if you smoke, quitting smoking.
  • Using compression stockings to prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
  • Moving your legs when sitting for long periods of time (such as on long trips).
  • Moving around as soon as possible after surgery or being confined to a bed.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

  • About Venous Thromboembolism (Blood Clots) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • What Is Venous Thromboembolism? From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

  • CT Angiography (CTA) Video (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
  • D-Dimer Test From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) Isoenzymes Test From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Tests for Lung Disease From the National Institutes of Health (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish
  • V/Q Scan From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine)

Treatments and Therapies

  • Blood Thinners: MedlinePlus Health Topic From the National Institutes of Health (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
  • Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis (American College of Radiology; Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

  • Understanding Your Risk for Blood Clots with Travel (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
  • Venous Thromboembolism and Marathon Athletes (American Heart Association) - PDF

Statistics and Research

  • Data and Statistics on Venous Thromboembolism (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

  • ClinicalTrials.gov: Pulmonary Embolism From the National Institutes of Health (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

  • Article: One condition, different environments? Haematologic parameter dynamics and pulmonary embolism in...
  • Article: The Prognostic Role of Hematological Markers in Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Enhancing...
  • Article: Causal Relationship between Gut Microbiota and Pulmonary Embolism: An Analysis Using...
  • Pulmonary Embolism -- see more articles

Reference Desk

  • How the Lungs Work From the National Institutes of Health Video (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

  • National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute From the National Institutes of Health

Patient Handouts

  • Coughing up blood (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • D-dimer test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Pulmonary embolus (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Topic Image

Pulmonary Embolism

MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

  • Chest CT
  • Chest x-ray
  • Coughing up blood
  • D-dimer test
  • Pulmonary embolus
  • Pulmonary ventilation/perfusion scan

Related Health Topics

  • Blood Clots
  • Deep Vein Thrombosis
  • Vascular Diseases

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Pulmonary Embolism is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Other Languages

Find health information in languages other than English on Pulmonary Embolism

NIH MedlinePlus Magazine

  • Basics of Blood Clots: What You Need to Know

Disclaimers

MedlinePlus links to health information from the National Institutes of Health and other federal government agencies. MedlinePlus also links to health information from non-government Web sites. See our disclaimer about external links and our quality guidelines.

The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.

  • About MedlinePlus
  • What's New
  • Site Map
  • Customer Support
  • Subscribe to RSSRSS
  • Connect with NLM
  • NLM Web Policies
  • Copyright
  • Accessibility
  • Guidelines for Links
  • Viewers & Players
  • HHS Vulnerability Disclosure
  • MedlinePlus Connect for EHRs
  • For Developers
National Library of Medicine 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Institutes of Health
Last updated January 26, 2024
Return to top

Patients

  • Find a Clinic
  • Health Services
  • Complex Case Management
  • MA / Medicare Assistance

Quick Links

  • Billing Information
  • Careers
  • About Phynet
  • PhyNet News

Network Links

  • PrimeCareHomeHealth.com
  • PrimeCareNet.com
  • PrimeCareManagers.com
  • Core-Rehab.com

Home Office

4002 Technology Center Longview TX 75605
Phone: (903) 247-0484
Fax: (903) 247-0485
[email protected]
  • PrimeCareHomeHealth.com
  • PrimeCareNet.com
  • PrimeCareManagers.com
  • Core-Rehab.com
  • GET SOCIAL

© 2021 PhyNet Health • All rights reserved
YOUR LIFE. YOUR CHOICE.

TOP