Mechanism of Pulmonary Embolism - Medical Illustration, Human Anatomy Drawing
This stock medical exhibit describes the mechanism of a pulmonary embolism. The first image is an artist's interpretation of an actual CT scan which clearly shows a saddle embolus in the right and left main pulmonary arteries. The second image is a detail of the femoral vein, showing pieces of the clot breaking off and flowing toward the heart and lungs. The next two images show a cross section of the heart and lungs at both the time of the CT and at the autopsy, at which point complete occlusion of the pulmonary arteries has occurred.