What happens to the lung tissue after a pulmonary embolism?

Question

Hi doctor,

What happens to the lung tissue after a pulmonary embolism (PE)? I came to know that blood flow stops to a specific area depending on the size and quantity of emboli in the pulmonary artery. But after treatment with blood thinners or clot busters or oxygen and increased fluid to restore flow, would you see a loss of an affected pulmonary tissue? Will it get restored after treatment? Can it come back slowly over time with therapy? I just want to understand the pathology after treatment of PE a little more.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com. Thank you for writing and I understand your concern. Usually, when a clot gets mixed with blood and flows as normal, the blood thinner breaks into pieces, and later on it flows in the normal blood and stays at its site without causing any symptoms. Then medicines are continued for years till it completely resolves or stays in the same size. If it is big, then they see the location of it and take it out. That’s how it works. Treatment depends on the symptoms. They keep on monitoring by scanning whether the size is increasing or not. That’s how it works. If anything else please let me know. Thank you.