Embolism

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An embolism can happen when something solid, semi-solid or gaseous is travelling in your bloodstream and gets stuck. The particle causing the blockage is called an embolus and is usually caused by a blood clot, fat particle or bubble of air. The embolus is carried in the blood stream until it gets stuck in a place where it forms a blockage.

Oxygen-carrying blood is pumped around the body in the arteries. Arteries have many branches that gradually get smaller and smaller. If an embolus is travelling in an artery, it will eventually reach a narrow point where it gets stuck. This cuts off the blood flow to the tissues in the part of the body the artery was supplying. When blood supply is lost, tissues are starved of oxygen, causing them to die. If this happens in your brain, it can cause permanent brain damage.

After the arteries have carried oxygen to all the bodyâ€™s tissues, the de-oxygenated blood is returned to the heart in the veins. If the embolus is in a vein, the tube system widens in the same direction as the blood flows, so itâ€™s unlikely to get stuck. However, once it gets through the heart and travels back into an artery, it can cause a blockage.