Pulmonary Embolism (PE)

A pulmonary embolism, often shortened to PE, happens when a blood clot breaks off, travels through the bloodstream, and gets stuck in an artery in the lungs. Most start as a deep vein thrombosis in the leg or pelvis. The clot blocks blood flow to part of the lung, which strains the heart and can lower oxygen levels.

Common symptoms include sudden shortness of breath, sharp chest pain that can worsen with a deep breath, a fast heartbeat, coughing (sometimes with blood), and lightheadedness. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute treats pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis as two parts of one condition, venous thromboembolism. Anyone with sudden breathing trouble or chest pain should call 911.

Risk goes up after surgery or hospitalization, during long periods of sitting, with cancer, during pregnancy and after childbirth, with some hormone-based medicines, and with medical devices placed inside veins. Treatment usually involves blood thinners, and sometimes clot-dissolving drugs or procedures.

PE appears in drug and device litigation when plaintiffs allege a product caused or failed to prevent clots, or that the manufacturer did not warn clearly enough. A PE diagnosis is serious, so these cases are typically individual injury claims, sometimes grouped in federal multidistrict litigation, rather than class actions with small equal payments. Our port catheter lawsuit page covers one device where clotting is among the alleged injuries, and what MDL means explains how such cases are managed.