Question

An 18-year old high school football player suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the state playoffs. After undergoing repair, he found it difficult to ambulate with the knee brace. Weighing close to 140 kg (approximately 300 pounds), the athlete found it difficult to stand and balance on one leg. His mother was unable to support him by herself. After one week, the young man began to have increased pain and swelling in the calf of his affected leg. In the middle of the night, the teen called out to his mother, complaining of a shortness of breath and unexplained anxiety. His mother called 9-1-1, and he was taken to a local hospital. In the emergency department, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. Oxygen and low-molecular-weight heparin were administered, and the young man was admitted to the intensive care unit. 2. Question: The young man suffers an infarction or death of a portion of his lung tissue, and it’s determined that blood flow is absent to that section of his lung. Describe what is happening and the long-term effects of this injury.

Answer 1

Pulmonary embolism is usually caused when the blood clot formed as a deep vein thrombosis travels to the part of the body causing obstruction to a body part or the organ in the case of pulmonary embolism the clot travels to the lungs blocking the blood vessels. This can cause death to a part of the lung or the entire lungs be damaged.

Deep vein thrombosis is a common condition and mainly caused by inactivity, after a operation, in the case of this patient after the ACL tear operation the clot might have formed. Since his weight is on the higher side the chance of getting a deep vein thrombosis .After the clot is formed it has moved to the lungs casing pulmonary embolism and which caused breathing difficulty and leading to the damage of the part of lungs. The clot has obstructed he blood flow to the lungs and made the situation worst.

Since the patient is administered with heparin the clot can get thinner to prevent further complication. The further complication may be if the clot travels to the blood vessels of the heart it can cause a fatal cardiac arrest.

If the part of lung of lung is damaged the patient may feel breathless even while resting ,and as common result of the damage the breathing capacity of the patient gradually reduces