Pulmonary embolism is best defined as a clot in which location?

Pulmonary embolism is best defined as a clot in which location?

• A. Clot in lung
• B. Blockage of a coronary artery
• C. Air embolism in the bloodstream
• D. Clot in deep veins of the leg

Answer: (A)

Pulmonary embolism is an obstruction of the pulmonary arteries by an embolus. It’s most often a blood clot that travels from the deep veins of the legs up to the lungs and lodges in the pulmonary circulation, blocking blood flow. That means the defining location of the problem is the clot in the lung’s vessels, which is why this option is the best description. The other ideas describe related but distinct issues: a block in a coronary artery causes a heart attack, not a pulmonary embolism; an air embolism is a different type of embolus that can cause similar symptoms but isn’t the classic thrombotic pulmonary embolism; a clot in the deep leg is a common source of emboli that can lead to a pulmonary embolism, but the problem itself is the blockage in the lung.

Pulmonary embolism is an obstruction of the pulmonary arteries by an embolus. It’s most often a blood clot that travels from the deep veins of the legs up to the lungs and lodges in the pulmonary circulation, blocking blood flow. That means the defining location of the problem is the clot in the lung’s vessels, which is why this option is the best description.

The other ideas describe related but distinct issues: a block in a coronary artery causes a heart attack, not a pulmonary embolism; an air embolism is a different type of embolus that can cause similar symptoms but isn’t the classic thrombotic pulmonary embolism; a clot in the deep leg is a common source of emboli that can lead to a pulmonary embolism, but the problem itself is the blockage in the lung.