Why air embolism causes stroke?

447 views

Why air embolism causes stroke?

In: Biology

2 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

There are 2 types of strokes: blockage and hemorrhage.

A hemorrhagic stroke is when a blood vessel breaks in your brain. This is the more severe type, as the blood pooling is its own problem. An air embolism usually doesn’t cause this.

A blockage stroke is simply a blockage in the blood vessel, preventing blood from going to part of the brain. That blockage can be fat deposits, cholesterol, clots, or in rare cases: air. Since the brain is at the top of the body, blood pressure is lowest there. If an air bubble gets into your circulatory system somehow (injury, injection) and comes to rest in a high point in a branch, blood cannot get past it and anything beyond that point gets starved of oxygen very quickly

Anonymous 0 Comments

They take up space inside the blood vessel and prevent oxygen carried in the hemoglobin from reaching the tissue to oxygenate it. Without oxygenation, the tissue dies. Comparatively, when you look at IV tubing that has an air bubble in it, the area with the bubble has only air and no solution. Same thing inside the vessel. The tissues need to touch the blood to perform gas exchange.