Pulmonary Embolism Health Video

Pulmonary embolism is a serious condition induced by chest pains and long periods of being inactive. Learn more about pulmonary embolism and possible treatments in this medical video.

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Dr. Jeffrey Michel earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. He completed his internship and residency programs in Internal Medicine at the Parkland and Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center Hospitals through the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas. Dr. Michel completed his Cardiology fellowship at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, through the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Michel is a former Sarnoff Fellow, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Michel is board certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Disease. He is trained in general cardiology, and has special training in noninvasive imaging and cardiovascular research. Dr, Michel has a special interest in CT angiography. Dr. Michel is a former Assistant Consulting Professor of Medicine at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a Fellow of the Sarnoff Endowment for Cardiovascular Research. Dr. Michel is a member of the Travis County Medical Society and the Texas Medical Association.

JEFFREY MICHEL, MD: Hi. I'm Dr. Jeffrey Michel from Austin, Texas and I'm here to talk about pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism means two things. Pulmonary means the lungs and embolism means something that's gone to the lungs, moved to the lungs from another part of the body. Generally, when we talk about pulmonary embolism, we talk about blood clots and generally, these blood clots come from veins in the body, usually the legs. Now, things that can cause the blood to clot more easily such as genetic factors that run in families or some medications may create a situation in which pulmonary embolism is more common. Being inactive or sitting for long periods of time or having surgery can also increase the chance of blood clots in the legs and lead to pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary embolism is a potentially life-threatening problem and is serious. If you think you have pulmonary embolism, you need to be under the care of a physician. To treat pulmonary embolism, we often use blood thinners. To prevent pulmonary embolism, we also often use blood thinners. Blood thinners can be taken by injection or by pill form but should only be taken under the supervision of a physician. So if you have shortness of breath or chest pain that occurs after you've been relatively immobile or sat for a long period of time, you need medical attention to make sure that you have not developed a blood clot and developed pulmonary embolism.

Pulmonary Embolism Health Video

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