What Is an Embolectomy?
An embolectomy is the surgical removal of an embolus in a blood vessel. An embolus is something foreign that travels through the bloodstream and blocks it by getting lodged in a vessel. A blockage in a blood vessel prevents oxygen from traveling through the bloodstream efficiently, which can cause tissue death. An embolus could be a clump of bacteria, air, or most commonly, a detached blood clot. Blood clots are ordinarily a good thing. The body forms them to plug an injured blood vessel to stop blood flow. When the blood vessel heals, they dissolve and are reabsorbed by the body.
