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Presented to –
Dr. Masum Shahriar
Course: Toxicology - I

 Fairouz Khan
 Maleha Zaman
 Ayrin Yeasmin
 Adib Rahman Nabil
 Stanley Lawrence Palma

 An embolism is the lodging of
an embolus inside a blood vessel.
The embolus may be a blood clot
(thrombus), a fat globule, a
bubble of air or other gas,
or foreign material.
 An embolism can cause partial or
total blockage of blood flow in
the affected vessel. Such a
blockage may affect a part of the
body distant from where the
embolus originated.
 An embolism in which the
embolus is a piece of thrombus is
called a
thromboembolism. Thrombosis,
the process of thrombus
formation, often leads to
thromboembolism.

The direction of the embolus can be one of two types:
 Anterograde: In anterograde embolism, the
movement of emboli is in the direction of blood flow.
 Retrograde: In retrograde embolism, however, the
emboli move in opposition to the blood flow
direction; this is usually significant only in blood
vessels with low pressure or with emboli of high
weight.
 An embolism is usually a pathologic event (that is,
part of illness or injury). Sometimes it is created
intentionally for a therapeutic reason, such as
to stop bleeding or to kill a cancerous tumor by
stopping its blood supply. Such therapy is
called embolization.

Pulmonary embolism:
An embolus, usually formed in the leg,
fixes in one of the arteries of the lungs.
Many emboli are broken down by the
body and go away by themselves;
however, serious pulmonary embolism
may cause death.
Brain embolism: If a blood clot
travels to the brain, this causes an
ischemic stroke.
Retinal embolism:
Small clots that can block the
smaller blood vessels feeding the
retina at the back of the eye. The
result is usually sudden blindness in
one eye.

Septic embolism: This occurs
when particles created by
infection in the body reach the
bloodstream and block blood
vessels.
Amniotic embolism: Not all emboli are made of clotted
blood. In pregnancy, the womb is filled with amniotic
fluid, which protects the fetus. Amniotic fluid can
embolize and reach the mother's lungs, causing pulmonary
amniotic embolism.
Air embolism: Scuba divers who rise to the surface too
rapidly can generate air embolism, bubbles in the blood
that can block arterial blood flow.
Fat embolism: Fat or bone marrow particles in the
blood stream may block blood vessels the way a blood
clot or air bubble can.

 Sudden shortness of breath
 Sudden, sharp chest pain that may become
worse with deep breathing or coughing
 Rapid heart rate
 Rapid breathing
 Sweating
 Anxiety
 Coughing up blood or pink, foamy mucus
 Light headedness, dizziness, fainting

 Most embolisms happen to people who have risk
factors for blood clot formation, such as smoking
and heart disease.
 Genetic conditions affecting the blood cells that
increase the chance of blood clot formation
 High blood pressure
 Atherosclerosis (buildup of fatty plaque in the
blood vessels)
 High cholesterol
 Previous surgery
 A broken leg or hip

There are several tests that may be done to
diagnose a pulmonary embolism. They are:
 Chest X-ray
 Ventilation perfusion (V/Q) scan
 CT scan or pulmonary angiography
 Doppler studies of the legs(For deep vein
thrombosis)
 Venograms or impedance plethysmography (IPG)
of the veins
 Brain scans(for strokes)

How an embolism is treated
will depend on:
 What caused the blockage
 The size of the blockage
 Where the blockage is in
the body
A surgical procedure called an embolectomy is
sometimes carried out to remove an obstruction.
During the operation, the surgeon makes a cut in the
affected artery so that the foreign body causing the
blockage can be sucked out in a process known as
aspiration.
Embolectomy

 Medication may be used to
dissolve embolisms
(thrombolysis) caused by
blood clots. Anticoagulant
medication, such as warfarin,
heparin and low-dose aspirin,
can help make the blood less
sticky and stop further clots
forming.
 Embolisms caused by air
bubbles are usually treated in
a hyperbaric chamber. The
air pressure inside the
chamber is higher than the
normal air pressure outside,
which helps reduce the size
of the air bubbles inside the
diver's body. Hyperbaric Chamber

It isn't always possible to prevent embolisms, but
there are things that can significantly reduce
the risk of embolism.
 Eating a healthy diet (low in fat, high in fiber,
including whole grains and plenty of fruit and
vegetables)
 Limiting the amount of salt in diet
 Loosing weight
 Stop smoking
 Exercising for a minimum of 150 minutes a week

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