Embolism

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. An embolism is the event of lodging of an embolus - a detached intravascular mass capable of clogging arterial capillary beds at a site far from its origin - into a narrow capillary vessel of an arterial bed which causes a blockage in a distant part of the body. Embolism can be classified as whether it enters the circulation in arteries or veins. Arterial embolism are those that follow and lodge in a more distal part of the systemic circulation. Sometimes, multiple classifications apply; for instance a pulmonary embolism is classified as an arterial embolism as well, in the sense that the clot follows the pulmonary artery carrying deoxygenated blood away from the heart. Learn more about embolisms, their causes and treatments in this book.