Embolism

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

Embolism

Literal meaning of embolus is a plug or a foreign body . An embolus is insoluble in the blood vessels and embolism is impact of an embolus carried by the blood stream form its point of origin to different parts where it sets impacted resulting vascular obstruction .



Type of emboli …..

1.      Solid embolus –

a)      Detached thrombus – Detachment of an aseptic thrombus .
b)      Solid foreign body -  Fragment of bony specules , lead salts etc .

2.      Liquid embolus –

a)      Oily embolus – like liquid paraffin or oily injection .
b)      Fat droplets or fat containing cells ( fat embolism ) -  Embolism is caused by fat , after the fracture of a long bone or trauma to a fatty tissue .
c)      Amniotic fluid -  After delivery , droplets of amniotic fluid will sucked in the uterine venous sinus . Thhese droplets become covered up which fibrin shell and develop emboli .

3.      gas embolus –

a)      Air embolus -  like embolism will be caused by the injury of veins of neck , artificial pneumothorax , tubal insufflation , careless intravenous , injection of air bubbles .
b)      Nitrogen gas embolus – like caison’s disease or diver’s sickness .


4.      Cellular embolus – like malignant cell embolus / red cell embolus in polycythaemia and white cell embolus in leukaemia .
5.      Tissue embolus – Embolism caused by friable placental tissue .
6.      parasitic embolus – like malarial parasite , larvae of hookworm and ascaris lumbricoides eggs of schistosoma ,


Effect of embolism ……

   The effect of embolism depends on the type of embolus and the arrangement of circulation of the affected organ .




   Type of embolus …….


  1. Effect due to septic embolus -  If the embolus is septic , it will produce multiple pyaemic abscesses and may cause dilation of vessels causing myotic aneurysm .
  2. Effect due to tumour cell emboli -  Tumour cell emboli will form a metastatic tumour in different parts of the body .
  3. Effect due to aseptic emboli -  The aseptic emboli will cause ischaemia leading to infarction or gangrene .

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