Venous — Deep vein to lung
Pulmonary
embolism
DVT → pulmonary artery occlusion
A clot forming in the deep veins of the leg detaches and travels upward through the venous system, through the heart's right chambers, and into the pulmonary artery. Once lodged there, it blocks blood flow to the lungs.
Warning signs
Sudden chest pain or tightness
Shortness of breath at rest
Blood in coughed-up mucus
Collapse, loss of consciousness (massive PE)
Action
Call 120 immediately
Time-critical. Do not wait to see if symptoms resolve.
Cardiac — Atrium to brain
Ischemic
stroke
AFib → cerebral artery occlusion
In atrial fibrillation, the left atrium quivers instead of contracting, allowing blood to pool and clot. When that clot dislodges, it enters the arterial system and travels directly to the brain, where it blocks a cerebral artery.
Stroke 120 checklist
1 — Face: asymmetry or drooping?
2 — Arms: one drifts downward?
0 — Speech: slurred or incoherent?
Thrombolysis window
4.5 hours from onset
1.9 million neurons lost per minute. Note the time symptoms began.
Arterial — Coronary plaque rupture
Myocardial
infarction
Plaque rupture → coronary artery occlusion
A plaque buildup in the coronary artery wall ruptures, exposing material that triggers immediate clot formation. The resulting thrombus blocks the artery, cutting off oxygen to the heart muscle downstream.
Warning signs
Crushing chest pain, persistent
Pain radiating to shoulder, jaw, back
Reperfusion window
60 min saves 90% of myocardium
Every 30-min delay increases mortality ~7.5%. Call 120. Do not drive.