Under the name embolism is understood the formation of any large moving clots or defects in the blood vessels. Air embolism occurs as a result of the entry of an air bubble into the bloodstream. This vesicle travels along the artery, after which it moves through smaller blood vessels, which eventually taper into capillaries. At a certain point, an air embolism blocks the arteries, thereby stopping the flow of blood into different areas of the body. This phenomenon is often observed with the rapid emergence of a person after deep-sea immersion on the surface of the water. At the same time, the body does not cope with the removal of excess nitrogen from the blood, but forms air bubbles in the tissues and blood vessels. These nitrogen bubbles cause decompression sickness (decompression). In this condition, death can occur , especially if a large gas bubble penetrates the heart muscle. At the same time, blood flow from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs stops. Arterial air embolism sometimes occurs as a result of cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and other surgical interventions in the blood vessels. Air entering the arteries can be fatal if the coronary and cerebral arteries become obstructed.
In addition to the embolism that arises in the arteries, venous air embolism can occur, which is a consequence of the introduction of intravenous air bubbles. It also poses a threat to the patient's life, as it can block pulmonary blood flow.
Symptoms of air embolism during decompression are:
- joint pain;
- weakness in the limbs;
- dizziness;
- severe tiredness;
- numbness and tingling in the limbs;
- skin rash and loss of consciousness;
- in severe cases - complete paralysis.
Most often, the occurrence of a large air embolus in the arteries of the brain ends with an immediate loss of consciousness and often causes seizures. In this condition, the likelihood of a stroke is high. An air embolism in the heart or coronary arteries that feed the heart can cause a heart attack. It is also caused by extensive embolism in the arteries of the brain.
A serious threat to health is also pulmonary embolism - an embolism of blood vessels located in the lungs. It causes severe pain in the sternum and complication of breathing. Pulmonary embolism can be caused by a sudden blockage of the pulmonary artery with an embolus. This condition is a common and serious complication in the respiratory system of patients.
An embolus can become a blood clot (blood clot), but it can also become:
- fat (in some fractures, the mass of bone marrow fat sometimes penetrates through the damaged vessels into the bloodstream and clogs the vessels in the area of their approach to various tissues, in particular, to the brain and lungs; drug embolism occurs when injecting oil solutions intramuscularly or subcutaneously with accidental penetration needles in a blood vessel);
- amniotic (amniotic) fluid during pregnancy;
- foreign body (for injuries);
- Bone marrow;
- parasites, microbes, fragments of a cancerous tumor.
The probability of death in pulmonary embolism depends on the size of the embolus, its diameter and the number of blocked pulmonary arteries. An important factor is the overall health of the patient. With various serious diseases of the lungs and heart, embolism is most dangerous. If embolism occurs in the main trunk of the pulmonary artery, death can occur within 1 hour.
Approximately 50% of all patients with pulmonary embolism who were not provided with timely care experience re-embolism. In 50% of such cases, such a relapse threatens the life of the patient. The most effective remedy that reduces the likelihood of relapse is the use of anticoagulants (drugs that reduce blood coagulation).
The urgency of the problem of embolism is due to the severity of the disease, a high mortality rate and difficulties in diagnosing such a complication.
Treatment of patients with embolism is carried out in the intensive care unit. If you suspect this disease, immediate hospitalization of the patient is needed.