ACC 840

Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is the blockage of one or more pulmonary arteries by a thrombus, fat or air embolus, or tumor tissue. These clots do not stop moving until they lodge at a narrowed part of the circulatory system. A pulmonary embolus consists of material that gain access to the venous system and then to the pulmonary circulation. The embolus travels with blood flow through smaller blood vessels until it lodges and obstructs perfusion of the alveoli. The lower lobes of the lungs are mos...