Last Updated on August 19, 2024
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is one of the most life-threatening conditions and requires medical intervention to be undertaken as soon as possible.
When a blood clot forms in one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs, the consequences can be fatal and may include acute complications or death.
The question of how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you? will depend on several factors but it is risky to survive without the knowledge of how early the condition should be treated.
This article aims to explain what a pulmonary embolism is, the causes and risks one may face, the time it takes for it to become fatal, and the measures that can be taken to prevent a fatal PE.
Knowing how long before a pulmonary embolism which is such a potentially deadly disease will kill a patient is very crucial.
What Is a Pulmonary Embolism?
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blockage in one of the pulmonary arteries in your lungs, that is most often caused by a blood clot you formed in another part of your body, particularly your leg’s deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
This blockage may cause clotting of blood and as a result, may hinder the blood from reaching the lung tissues which may culminate into life-threatening effects.
The causes of a Pulmonary Embolism, the risks involved, and the signs of a Pulmonary Embolism must be understood when one is contemplating how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you.
Causes and Risks of Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism usually occurs as a complication of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in which blood clots are formed in deep veins, most commonly of the lower limbs.
These clots can become mobilized, embolized, and occlude blood flow in the pulmonary circulation.
Several factors increase the risk of developing a PE and understanding these can help answer the question of how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you:
- Prolonged immobility: Any period of immobility like being bedridden or undertaking long flights will cause accumulation of blood in the lower limbs and hence put you at risk for clot formation.
- Surgery and trauma: Operations, especially orthopedic, can affect blood vessels with findings of blood clots thus the need for the thrombogenic theory of aging. Consequently, trauma works similarly.
- Certain medical conditions: Properly, certain diseases state as cancer, cardiovascular illnesses, and autoimmune diseases will enhance the probability of clot formation.
- Hormonal factors: Some of the factors may include pregnancy, taking oral contraceptives, or being in hormonal replacement therapy since they result in high levels of estrogen.
- Genetic predisposition: Others are born with tendencies that increase the risk of blood clotting, and thus increase their risk of PE.
How Quickly Can a Pulmonary Embolism Become Fatal?
It is usually not clear how soon a pulmonary embolism can cause death, and this will depend on the size of a clot and where it has blocked blood flow.
As to the question of what may palliate your life and how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you it depends on these factors.
A huge blot or multiple blot that blocks a principal pulmonary artery can lead to death within minutes to hours. Nonetheless, microscopic clots result in slight symptoms giving time for treatment to be effected.
Often, one’s bodily mechanisms can granularly dissolve such clots while bigger clots give a rapid decline and death if addressed insufficiently, giving an understanding of how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you.
Signs and Symptoms of a Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism
It is also important that one distinguish the early features of a pulmonary embolism, especially regarding how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you.
Symptoms can vary widely but often include:
- Sudden shortness of breath: Shortness of breath triggered suddenly and that worsens with activity.
- Chest pain: Sudden, severe, often knifelike pain that may be made worse by taking a deep breath coughing, or moving around.
- Cough: A prolonged cough that may be accompanied at times by hemoptysis or sputum flecked with blood.
- Rapid heart rate: This is mostly an increased heart rate or tachycardia, which is quite normal given the extra pressure placed on the heart.
- Dizziness or fainting: I said that when the effect of the embolism is to restrict blood flow fairly substantially, then lightheadedness or loss of consciousness can result.
- Sweating: Pale, blue, or increased cold clamminess of skin, and sweating are the signs of shock which is a state of dramatically decreased blood flow.
Factors That Influence the Speed of a Pulmonary Embolism’s Impact
Several factors influence how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you:
- Size and location of the clot: But when larger clots or clots that form in the main pulmonary arteries occur there are more serious and quicker outcomes.
- Underlying health conditions: The most vulnerable are people with poor heart or lung function their health situation worsens very quickly.
- The body’s response: Of course, there are always those who will be able to ‘cope’ worse with the lack of blood flow, and there are those who will be in decline more rapidly.
- Promptness of treatment: When they are diagnosed early and when the treatment is commenced, the survival rates are greatly enhanced.
Failing to seek medical help can result in deterioration and knowing how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you.
Emergency Response: What to Do If You Suspect a Pulmonary Embolism
If you suspect you or someone else may have a pulmonary embolism, immediate action is essential.
Knowing how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you is crucial in deciding the urgency of your response:
- Call emergency services: Telephone emergency services without delay the window is short, and early treatment helps; often the difference between life and death.
- Stay calm: Attempt not to get angry or agitated if the opportunity arises and stress and anxiety were revealed as the factors that are capable of worsening the symptoms.
- Avoid physical exertion: Wait and rest before requesting emergency assistance and it is not advised as the condition can get aggravated by physical exercises.
- Follow medical advice: For those with a history of DVT or PE, if you get symptoms, use the emergency management plan that your doctor advised.
Treatment Options to Prevent a Fatal Pulmonary Embolism
Once a pulmonary embolism is diagnosed, several treatment options can prevent a fatal outcome, influencing how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you:
- Anticoagulant medications: Another name for anticoagulants is blood thinners since they help to keep existing clots from enlarging and help to stop new clots from forming.
- Thrombolytic therapy: In more serious occurrences of the condition, clot busters or thrombolytics are given to break the clot and dissolve it on a quick basis.
- Surgical intervention: In case of extreme emergency and clotting is a matter of life and death, surgery that involves embolectomy (the removal of the clot) or catheter-directed thrombolysis may be required.
- Inferior vena cava (IVC) filter: In those who cannot however take these drugs, an IVC filter may be inserted to capture the blood clots before these get to the lungs.
Failing to seek medical help can result in deterioration and knowing how long before a pulmonary embolism kills you.
