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Condition

Pulmonary Embolism

Diseases of the Circulatory System

Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of one or more arteries in the lungs, most commonly caused by a blood clot that has traveled from a vein elsewhere in the body, typically the legs. It can cause sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, and a rapid heart rate, and a large embolism can be immediately life-threatening. It is closely related to deep vein thrombosis, which is often the source of the clot.

Facts
Classification
Body System
Cardiovascular System 1
ICD-10 Chapter
IX: Diseases of the Circulatory System 1
Communicable or Non-communicable
Non-Communicable 2
Transmission Route
Non-Transmissible 2
Causative Agent
Causative Agent (category)
Idiopathic / Multifactorial 3
Pulmonary Embolism
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Connections

Associated With

Pulmonology, Medical Specialties

Blockage of a pulmonary artery, usually by a blood clot; pulmonology specialty.

Treated By

Thrombectomy is used to remove a clot in severe pulmonary embolism.

Warfarin is a standard oral anticoagulant used in pulmonary embolism treatment.

Source Warfarin (Wikipedia)
Sources
1. Wikipedia: ICD-10
WikipediaList of chapters, Chapter IX
Quote, List of chapters, Chapter IX
Diseases of the circulatory system
View the Source
2. World Health Organization: Noncommunicable diseases (fact sheet)
World Health Organization
  • Lead section, transmission-route statement (inferred from disease-category)
    The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
  • Main Types section
    The main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (such as heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.
View the Source
3. Pulmonary embolism (Wikipedia)
intro para 2View the Source
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