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Potential complications

A pulmonary embolism (PE) occurs when a blood clot from a deep vein (a DVT) detaches from a vein (embolizes), travels through the right side of the heart, and becomes lodged as an embolus in a pulmonary artery that supplies deoxygenated blood to the lungs for oxygenation. Up to one-fourth of PE cases are thought to result in sudden death. When not fatal, PE can cause symptoms such as sudden onset shortness of breath or chest pain, coughing up blood (hemoptysis), and fainting (syncope). The chest pain can be pleuritic (worsened by deep breaths) and can vary based upon where the embolus is lodged in the lungs. An estimated 30–50% of those with PE have detectable DVT by compression ultrasound.