Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches, usually occurring when a deep vein thrombus (blood clot from a vein) becomes dislodged from its site of formation and travels, or embolizes, to the arterial blood supply of one of the lungs. This process is termed thromboembolism. Common symptoms include difficulty breathing, chest pain on inspiration, and palpitations.

Clinical signs include low blood oxygen saturation (hypoxia), rapid breathing (tachypnea), and rapid heart rate (tachycardia). Severe cases of untreated PE can lead to collapse, circulatory instability, and sudden death. Diagnosis is based on these clinical findings in combination with laboratory tests and imaging studies.

While the gold standard for diagnosis is the finding of a clot on pulmonary angiography, CT pulmonary angiography is the most commonly used imaging modality today. Treatment is typically with anticoagulant medication, including heparin and warfarin. Severe cases may require thrombolysis with drugs such as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) or may require surgical intervention via pulmonary thrombectomy.

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