Emergency risk: Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs. In most cases, the condition is caused by blood clots that travel to the lungs from the legs (deep vein thrombosis) or, less commonly, from other parts of the body. It can be life threatening. However, prompt treatment greatly reduces the risk of death. Also, taking measures to prevent blood clots in the legs will help protect against the condition. It's noteworthy that the word ‘embolism' comes from the Greek émbolos, meaning ‘stopper' or ‘plug'. Between 2008 and 2012, the number of people who died ...