embolism
Meaning of embolism: An embolism is a sudden blockage of a blood vessel by material that traveled there from elsewhere in the bloodstream.
Definition of embolism
An embolism is the sudden blockage of a blood vessel by material, called an embolus, that formed elsewhere in the body and traveled through the bloodstream before lodging in a vessel too narrow to let it pass. A blood clot is the most common cause, but an embolus can also consist of fat, air, or, less often, other material such as tumor fragments or amniotic fluid.
Where an embolism occurs, and which vessel it blocks, determines its effects. A pulmonary embolism lodges in an artery supplying the lungs, while an embolism affecting an artery supplying the brain can cause a stroke, and one affecting a limb can compromise blood flow to that extremity.
Because an embolism blocks blood flow abruptly rather than gradually, it can produce sudden symptoms distinct from those caused by a slowly narrowing vessel, and identifying both the blockage and its underlying source is generally central to evaluating the condition.
Used in a sentence
A pulmonary embolism was diagnosed after the patient developed sudden shortness of breath and chest pain.
Good to know
An embolism produces sudden symptoms because it blocks blood flow abruptly, in contrast to the more gradual symptoms that typically develop when a vessel narrows slowly over time from another cause.
Word origin
Where “embolism” comes from
Formed from Greek embolos, meaning a stopper or wedge, from en-, meaning in, and ballein, meaning to throw.