Pulmonary Embolism Treatment

Medical Treatment

When you go to a hospital's emergency department or your doctor's office with chest pain or other symptoms that may suggest a PE, remember that the diagnosis has not yet been confirmed, and therefore not all treatment will occur from the beginning of an evaluation.

If you have chest pain, you will be placed on a heart monitor, and usually an IV will be inserted.

Some people with PE are critically ill. They have severe shortness of breath, low blood pressure, and low oxygen concentrations. Much more aggressive treatment is undertaken to support or elevate the blood pressure and increase the oxygen in the blood.

The following treatments are the most frequently used for PEs.

• Oxygen can be given in several ways. One is through tubing that is inserted at the tip of the nostrils, called a nasal cannula.
  
  
  • If you have severely low oxygen levels, you will be given a higher flow of oxygen through a mask.
    
    
  • You may be so sick that you require ventilator treatment. A large tube is placed into your trachea (windpipe) and connected to a ventilator (breathing machine), which assists or does the breathing for you. If a ventilator is required, you will usually be sedated so that you are not aware, which also helps to ease your breathing and make it effortless.
  
  
• Blood-thinning medication is given through your IV, injected in the skin directly, and also taken by mouth.
  
  
  • Heparin is usually the first medication given. This is given in an IV and works to stop further clot formation from occurring. It is administered continuously through the IV.
    
    
  • Another medication is called enoxaparin (Lovenox), or a low molecular weight heparin. This medication is given subcutaneously, or just under the skin. It only has to be given every 12 hours, but it does require an injection each time. The current trend is to use low molecular weight heparin for the treatment of PE.
    
    
  • The oral blood-thinning medication called warfarin (Coumadin) is usually given shortly after the heparin or a low molecular weight heparin is started. The medications are continued until blood tests show that the warfarin is adequately thinning the blood. Once this is shown, then the heparin or enoxaparin is stopped, and the warfarin is continued as an outpatient.
  
  
• Blood pressure elevators are IV medications given to critically ill people with low blood pressures. The most commonly used medication is dopamine (Intropin). It works to elevate the blood pressure into an acceptable range.
  
  
• "Clot buster" medications (also called thrombolytics) are given to those who are critically ill. The purpose is to break up the clot that is blocking the blood vessel in the lung. These medications are used only in those with massive PE, blood pressure collapse, or severely low oxygen that does not respond to treatment. Examples of these medications are reteplase (Retavase), TPA, streptokinase, and urokinase.

Viewer Comments & Reviews

Pulmonary Embolism (Blood Clot In The Lung) - Describe Your Symptoms

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

Please describe your symptoms of pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung).

Anonymously share your comment to help others.
See 15 Viewer Comments & Reviews

Submit Your Review