Pulmonary embolism is defined as which of the following?

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Multiple Choice

Pulmonary embolism is defined as which of the following?

Pulmonary embolism is an obstruction of a pulmonary artery by a blood clot that has traveled from another part of the body, usually from the legs. The crucial idea is that the clot, an embolus, moves through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, blocking blood flow and causing a mismatch between ventilation and perfusion. This is why sudden shortness of breath and chest pain can occur, and why the condition can be serious. Inflammation of the alveoli describes pneumonia, not an embolism. Collapse of the lung tissue refers to atelectasis (or pneumothorax in some contexts), which is a loss of lung volume rather than a blockage of the pulmonary artery. Chronic infection of the airways points to conditions like chronic bronchitis, not an acute vascular blockage.

Pulmonary embolism is an obstruction of a pulmonary artery by a blood clot that has traveled from another part of the body, usually from the legs. The crucial idea is that the clot, an embolus, moves through the bloodstream and lodges in the lungs, blocking blood flow and causing a mismatch between ventilation and perfusion. This is why sudden shortness of breath and chest pain can occur, and why the condition can be serious.

Inflammation of the alveoli describes pneumonia, not an embolism. Collapse of the lung tissue refers to atelectasis (or pneumothorax in some contexts), which is a loss of lung volume rather than a blockage of the pulmonary artery. Chronic infection of the airways points to conditions like chronic bronchitis, not an acute vascular blockage.

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