|
 |
- In patients with certain heart
irregularities or heart valve problems, blood clots form in
the heart or on the heart valve and get "thrown" to the rest
of the body.
- An arterial embolism occurs when one
of these "thrown" clots travels and becomes lodged in an
artery or an arteriole (small artery) downstream from the
point where the clot (thrombus) originated. The word
for this "thrown" clot, while it is traveling, or once it
has lodged itself, is "embolus
". Once it lodges, this embolus now
blocks or partly blocks blood/oxygen/nutrients from reaching the tissues
and organs downstream from the
embolus.
|
 |
- For example, occurring in an extremity (such as toes):
- Pain
- Numbness
- Coldness
- Tingling
- Hypersensitivity to pain
- Decreased sensitivity to pain
- Muscle Spasm
- For example, occurring in the
brain:
- Sudden weakness of the right or
left half of the body.
- Loss of speech (Aphasia)
- Numerous other symptoms of a Stroke (see Brain Attack)
|
 |
- Heart disease
- Rheumatic heart disease
- Atrial fibrillation
- Heart valve problems
- Coronary artery
disease
|
 |
- Examination (embolus in an
extremity, for example):
- Lack of pulse in affected
extremity
- Loss of color (pale)
- Mottled (net-like) appearance
- Gangrene appearance
- Muscle weakness
- Also see Brain Attack
- Imaging (embolus in an extremity,
for example):
- Arterial Ultrasound
- Arteriography (dye is injected to
check blood flow)
- Electrocardiogram --
to check heart rhythm
- Echocardiogram (Ultrasound of heart
to check for source of blood clots)
- Transesophageal Echocardiogram (very accurate Ultrasound, but need
to pass probe into esophagus)
-
Also
see Brain Attack
|
 |
- Embolus in an extremity, for
example:
- Heparin -- a blood thinner -- is
given while awaiting surgery
- Surgical removal of embolism
(blood clot)
- If treatment is delayed by more
than 12 hours and gangrene or necrosis has already
occurred, signifying severe damage, then blood thinners
are used alone as it is too late for surgery.
- Also see Brain Attack
|
| | |
|
|
