Can long periods of sitting and falling lead to death? Huaxi doctors: Beware of the silent killer of the body - pulmonary embolism

Is this also the case with you in life?

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Friends gather together and set up the mahjong table

Staying put all night, try your best to turn a bicycle into a motorcycle

I stayed at home all day during the holiday, and I didn't move if I could lie down.

After sitting on the train for more than ten hours, I felt numb but insisted on persisting

After major or minor surgery, lying down and resting thought everything was fine.

…

Be careful! Pulmonary embolism

Maybe it's lurking around you.

Related cases have been reported

An accidental sprain can lead to cardiac arrest!

turn out to be

All this is caused by pulmonary embolism, killing people invisibly

Image source: Weibo screenshot of Daily Economic News

Today, Dr. Huaxi will introduce you to this

The Silent Killer: Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism is known as "one of the top ten cardiopulmonary diseases that need to be solved in the 21st century". Severe acute pulmonary embolism can cause sudden death within a few seconds . If acute pulmonary embolism is not treated promptly and in a standardized manner, it may also lead to chronic pulmonary embolism and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, eventually leading to heart failure and endangering life .

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When many people hear about cardiopulmonary diseases, they may subconsciously think that they only occur when they are old. In fact, this is not the case. Pulmonary embolism has a high incidence, high mortality, and high misdiagnosis rate . It is not selective in age, gender, or race. It can occur at any time and anywhere . It can even hit people suddenly before the body has any symptoms, and eventually kill them. Especially for hospitalized patients, the severity of pulmonary embolism is no less than that of myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction. 60% of pulmonary embolism cases are related to hospitalization.

Having said the dangers of pulmonary embolism, what exactly is it? In fact, you can probably tell from its name that pulmonary embolism refers to: various "emboli" blocking the pulmonary artery system, thus leading to pulmonary circulation and respiratory dysfunction. It is a critical and severe disease with a very high mortality rate .

These "emboli" are mainly blood clots , and less commonly amniotic fluid, air, etc. Blood clots usually originate from the deep veins of the lower limbs and pelvis. After falling off, they circulate through the blood and travel all the way to the heart, then block the pulmonary artery. We can imagine blood vessels as "rivers". Under normal circumstances, they meander. The occurrence of blood clots is like "stones blocking the river". Once blood vessels are blocked, the blood transport system will be paralyzed, and the consequences will be disastrous.

The formation of thrombus is inseparable from three factors: blood stasis, vascular wall damage (or endothelial damage) and hypercoagulable state .

When people sit or lie still for a long time, the blood in the lower limb veins will return too slowly, causing blood stasis. Surgery, trauma, inflammation, etc. can cause damage to the vascular wall structure or endothelium, leading to vasoconstriction, platelet adhesion and aggregation, etc. The hypercoagulable state can be understood as a state in which the blood is easy to coagulate and form thrombi.

These three work together to form a blood clot.

Blood clots may form in veins in any part of the body. If you stand up or exercise suddenly, the blood clots may flow with the blood and enter the pulmonary circulation, causing pulmonary embolism.

Although pulmonary embolism can happen to anyone at any time and anywhere, regardless of gender, age, or race, the following high-risk groups need our special attention:

From no symptoms to syncope and even sudden death

The clinical symptoms of pulmonary embolism vary.

"All kinds? Doctor, please help me.

I've been losing a lot of hair lately.

Is it a pulmonary embolism?"

Pulmonary embolism: Don’t get involved

Pay attention, if high-risk groups have the following symptoms:

Notice!

Be alert to the occurrence of pulmonary embolism!

Go to the hospital immediately!

The bad news: Pulmonary embolism is dangerous and has a very high mortality rate.

The good news: It is preventable!

In daily life, doing these things can prevent

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Stand up and move around more . Whether you are working at a desk, studying, or traveling for a long time on a train or high-speed rail, you should move your legs from time to time and walk a few steps to prevent the blood from returning too slowly in the veins of the lower limbs, which may cause thrombosis.

Drinking more water helps dilute the blood and promotes healthy blood circulation. Good blood circulation makes it less likely to form blood clots.

Control blood sugar and blood lipids to avoid high blood viscosity

Quit smoking and maintain good living habits

For patients with special risks, such as those who need to stay in bed for a long time due to illness or surgery, doctors generally use device prevention , such as gradient compression stockings, intermittent pneumatic compression devices, plantar venous pumps, etc., to promote blood return to the lower limbs . For patients with higher risk, anticoagulant drugs will be used for prevention, and if necessary, anticoagulant drugs combined with device prevention will be used .

all in all

Although pulmonary embolism is dangerous, it is preventable and treatable.

One sentence↓↓↓

Get moving! Don't let pulmonary embolism affect your health

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

About Pulmonary Embolism

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References

1. Yi Qun, Yan Yu, Zhou Haixia, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for pulmonary embolism: Unraveling the underlying diseases and clinical complexities[J]. Chinese Medical Journal, 2017, 97(36): 2806-2809. DOI: 10.3760/cma.j.issn.0376-2491.2017.36.003.

2. He Jianguo, Cheng Xiansheng. Advances in diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism[J]. Chinese Journal of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases, 2000, 23(9):563. DOI:10.3760/j:issn:1001-0939.2000.09.034.

3. Li Jianhong. Clinical analysis of pulmonary embolism misdiagnosed as acute non-Q wave myocardial infarction[J]. Hainan Medicine, 2008, 19(7): 97-98. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-6350.2008.07.055.

4. Zeng Guojun, Zhou Haixia, Li Xi. She stumbled and received a critical illness notice[J]. Health Expo, 2019(12):17-19.