A pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot travels through your veins into the pulmonary artery, effectively blocking the flow of blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs.
Though the clot can form in other areas of the body, it often begins in the legs as a deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
Sometimes pulmonary embolisms require emergency treatment, but not in all cases.
At the University of Maryland Medical Center, our pulmonary embolism specialists see a high volume of patients with pulmonary embolisms and are successful at treating them.
We are experts in treating pulmonary embolisms in emergency situations (also called acute pulmonary embolism) as well as in an outpatient setting.
If you think you or a loved one has a pulmonary embolism, call 911 or visit your closest emergency room.
Health professionals seeking patient transfers, please contact ExpressCare at 1-800-373-4111 or 410-328-1234.
To schedule an appointment at an outpatient location, call 410-328-5842.
The main signs are:
Other possible indicators include:
Many of the main symptoms are similar to other serious conditions, so you'll want to seek treatment at an emergency room as soon as possible.
If you believe you have a pulmonary embolism, the University of Maryland Medical Center's emergency room is prepared to give you an accurate diagnosis.
Our pulmonary embolism response team are on-call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They will be a part of your initial diagnosis and any decisions on treatment.
Since symptoms are similar to other conditions, we'll review your medical history and run some basic checks, including checking your legs for signs of clotting, blood pressure and lung function.
If we believe you have a pulmonary embolism, we'll run more advanced tests, including CT scan or ultrasound.
There are a number of different ways to treat a pulmonary embolism, depending on the size and location of your clot. We have experts in all treatment options on our pulmonary embolism response team, helping us to pair you with the best treatment option.
We may use a combination of treatments or one treatment, depending on the severity of your pulmonary embolism. For instance, we may use blood thinners combined with a minimally invasive procedure to insert a filter.
In emergencies, we have the capability of using ECMO, an advanced support system that takes over the function of your lungs.
Treatment options include:
Our focus is finding the safest procedure for you. If your clot is large, we may suggest surgery to remove it or to place a filter. We may do this via a minimally invasive procedure or through open surgery.
We may place a inferior vena cava (IVC) filter to prevent the clot from moving through your veins. This is a catheter-based intervention.
The filter catches blood clots and breaks it up into smaller pieces so that the body can absorb on its own. This prevents blood clots that form in the leg from reaching the lungs.
IVC filters need to be removed one to two months after being implanted. We remove filters at the UM Vascular Center at Redwood.
Using a tiny incision, a vascular surgeon accesses your vein and vacuums out the clot. This is normally a minimally invasive procedure, making your recovery time shorter. Occasionally, open surgery is required for clot removal.
The biggest risk factor is age. Every 10 years you live, your risk for a pulmonary embolism doubles.
Other risk factors include:
Risk for blood clots increases risk for PE. If you go on a long trip or are stagnate for a while after surgery, you're more at risk to develop blood clots in your leg, which could then travel to your lungs.
If you've had a pulmonary embolism, you are also at higher risk of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), a form of pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs) caused by blood clots.
If you have been diagnosed with a low-risk pulmonary embolism, we can treat you in our outpatient vascular lab. Call 410-328-5840 to make an appointment.
