A pulmonary embolism is a condition in which vessels in the lungs are blocked by a thrombus or other material that has traveled from somewhere else in the body. This is usually a result of a venous thromboembolism, but can also be due to amniotic fluid, air or fat embolus, or tumor material in patients with cancer.

A key thing to understand about pulmonary embolism is that the airway is not occluded. In pulmonary embolism, one or more blood vessels are occluded. What this means is that blood coming from the right side of the heart isn’t able to pass freely through the pulmonary vasculature to participate in gas exchange, which negatively affects perfusion.

In this episode you’ll learn:

• Pulmonary embolism pathophysiology


• Which of your patients are at highest risk for having a PE


• Common signs and symptoms of PE


• Priority nursing assessments


• Tests utilized to evaluate or diagnose PE


• Treatments for PE, including pharmacological and surgical


• And more!

Hit play on this episode so you can understand how to recognize PE quickly so your patient can have their best chance at recovery.

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