Topic Page: Embolus
(ĕm'bӘlӘs), foreign matter circulating in and obstructing a blood vessel. It may be a portion of a clot that has separated from the wall of a vessel (see thrombosis), a bubble of gas or air (known as an air embolus), a globule of fat, a clump of bacterial matter, or a clump of tumor cells. It circulates freely through the vessels until it reaches one so small that it cannot go further. An embolus in one of the vessels leading to the lungs, brain, or heart, if large enough, can be fatal; in an arm or leg it may lead to gangrene and, ultimately, the need for amputation. Emergency surgical removal is usually the treatment of choice for a solid embolus. Otherwise, drugs that dilate the vessels and anticoagulants are indicated.
Related Articles
Full text Article embolism
The sudden blocking of an artery by solid, semi-solid or gaseous material brought to the site of the obstruction in the bloodstream. The...
Full text Article Cardioembolic Stroke
A type of ischemic stroke that is a result of a cardiac thrombus dislodging and occluding a vessel within the intracranial circulation.
Full text Article embolism
The sudden blocking of an artery by a clot or other material that has come from another part of the body via the bloodstream (the material is...