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Pulmonary embolism (PE) exists in mild, moderate, and severe forms. Treatment for PE consists of dissolving the blood clot with medication, breaking it up with a catheter, or surgically removing it.
In mild PE, anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners, are usually sufficient. Patients may sometimes be treated on an outpatient (home) basis if the risk of complications is low.
In severe cases, both main arteries of the lung are blocked. The patient presents with acute shock. Patients with circulatory disorders and oxygen deficiency are treated in intensive care. In patients presenting with acute shock, fibrinolytic drugs, which dissolve blood clots blocking the vessels, are administered. In severe cases, surgery called embolectomy may be performed. This surgery is rarely performed by cardiovascular surgeons to remove clots. The decision on which treatment to apply is made by physicians after evaluating the patient's risk factors.
Heparin therapy is also among the treatments used in pulmonary embolism. Heparin therapy prevents blood clotting and the formation of new clots, but it does not dissolve the clot blocking the vessel. The blood-thinning effects of the medications used vary, and their monitoring is achieved through laboratory tests.
The administered blood thinners are used to prevent the formation of new clots.
The body's own fibrinolytic mechanism is what dissolves the existing clot. The body initiates the process of dissolving the existing clot within the first 24 hours.
Treatment of Pulmonary Embolism
In mild PE, anticoagulants, also known as blood thinners, are usually sufficient. Patients may sometimes be treated on an outpatient (home) basis if the risk of complications is low.
In severe cases, both main arteries of the lung are blocked. The patient presents with acute shock. Patients with circulatory disorders and oxygen deficiency are treated in intensive care. In patients presenting with acute shock, fibrinolytic drugs, which dissolve blood clots blocking the vessels, are administered. In severe cases, surgery called embolectomy may be performed. This surgery is rarely performed by cardiovascular surgeons to remove clots. The decision on which treatment to apply is made by physicians after evaluating the patient's risk factors.
Heparin therapy is also among the treatments used in pulmonary embolism. Heparin therapy prevents blood clotting and the formation of new clots, but it does not dissolve the clot blocking the vessel. The blood-thinning effects of the medications used vary, and their monitoring is achieved through laboratory tests.
The administered blood thinners are used to prevent the formation of new clots.
The body's own fibrinolytic mechanism is what dissolves the existing clot. The body initiates the process of dissolving the existing clot within the first 24 hours.