Pulmonary Embolism Causes
Blood clots or thrombi can form in the body for a variety of reasons. The thrombi causing pulmonary embolism most often appear due to deep vein thrombosis, a condition which allows the formation of blood clots to form into deep veins of the body. The blood clots mostly become the cause of pulmonary embolism and typically ravel from either pelvis or leg veins towards the lungs. Medical professionals term three risk factors for pulmonary embolism as Virchow’s triad and this triad includes sedentary lifestyle, hyper-coagulability, and trauma to the veins. The formation of blood clots in deep veins of the body causing pulmonary embolism can be due to various reasons and these include the following: [4]
Injury or physical trauma
Injuries like muscle tears and bone fractures can result in damage to blood vessels which consequently leads to blood clots formation. These blood clots start travelling from the site of injury or damage and lodge into different parts of the body including the lungs. After reaching into the lungs, these blood clots not only block the blood flow but also decrease the space for gas exchange at the alveolar sacs thus causing mismatch in ventilation/perfusion ratio. Any injury that involves your lower leg can cause damage to a blood vessel and blood vessel wall, which can result in the formation of blood clots in the deeper veins of the legs. These blood clots then start moving towards the lungs and develop a chronic medical condition of pulmonary embolism.