Chance of survival with a fulminant pulmonary embolism
The fulminant pulmonary embolism describes the embolism in its most severe form. Fulminant means that the embolism occurs very suddenly and is followed by a very rapidly progressing and critical course. The early mortality rate here is over 15%. In most cases, a fulminant pulmonary embolism leads to life-threatening complications such as cardiac arrest and subsequent heart failure (cardiac insufficiency). Depending on how quickly the embolism and the complications can be treated, the mortality rate can rise to over 50%.
Chance of survival with bilateral pulmonary embolism
A bilateral pulmonary embolism usually has a fulminant course, since the entire vascular system of the lung is affected. Because all the vessels are blocked, there is no longer any oxygen supply. This has consequences for the lungs, heart and brain in particular.
In addition, the heart is very severely affected, since it has to pump against practically infinite resistance in the pulmonary vessels. This leads to cardiac arrest within a few minutes. Immediate resuscitation is necessary to ensure any chance of survival. In addition, the thrombus (blood clot) must be removed very quickly. Since the heart is usually severely damaged (cardiac insufficiency/heart failure), long-term survival is also strongly negatively affected.
Which prerequisites have a positive effect on the survival rate?
The chances of survival look better the smaller the pulmonary embolism present. In addition, young age and as few pre-existing conditions as possible offer a particularly favorable prognosis. The chances of survival are very good, especially if there are no pulmonary or cardiovascular diseases.
The prophylaxis of thrombosis also has a great influence on the chances of survival, because anyone who has had a pulmonary embolism once runs the risk of having another blood clot in the lung more quickly. Anyone who takes regular exercise and wears compression stockings if risk factors are present has very good chances of survival. Physical fitness has a positive influence on the chance of survival, not only because of the reduced risk of thrombosis.
In addition, a fit person has better capacity to compensate for the consequences of a pulmonary embolism. As a result, the recovery process after a pulmonary embolism can be significantly improved and accelerated.People who already suffer from pre-existing conditions can improve their conditions by having these conditions well adjusted with medication. Especially coagulation disorders, high blood pressure and metabolic diseases such as diabetes (blood sugar disease) and an imbalance in blood lipid values can be influenced extremely positively with appropriate medication and a healthy diet.
