What Is Pulmonary Embolism? What Causes Pulmonary Embolism?
An embolism – from the Greek émbolos meaning “stopper” or “plug” – is the term that describes a condition where an object called an embolus is created in one part of the body, circulates throughout the body, and then blocks blood flowing through a vessel in another part of the body. Emboli (plural of embolus) are not to be confused with thrombi (plural of thrombus), which are clots that are formed and remain in one area of the body without being carried throughout the bloodstream.
