health

The body’s circulatory system is like a huge network of small roads and
large interstate highways. It is important that blood continuously flow
through the body to carry nutrients, oxygen, and other substances to cells
and organs. But like a road, sometimes a part of the circulatory system
can become blocked by an accident.
An embolism is a blockage that plugs up a blood vessel and slows or
even stops blood flow to the area of the body supplied by the artery.
Many substances can cause blockages. Usually, the embolus (EM-bo-lus)
is something small that has broken free from another part of the body
and travels through the bloodstream until it gets jammed in a blood vessel
that is too narrow for it to pass freely.
Emboli (EM-bo-ly; plural of embolus) may be life threatening. They
may cause death if they block a major artery, such as the large pulmonary
artery that runs through the lungs. They may also cause death of body
tissue if they prevent blood flow to a given area.