Why does a bubble in a bloodstream cause your body to go haywire?

Question

Why does a bubble in a bloodstream cause your body to go haywire?

In: 78

Answer 1

Imagine your blood as a tube full of marbles. Imagine the heart as pushing on those marbles.

Now imagine taking one of the marbles out and replacing it with a small balloon (an air bubble).

It should be easy to envisage how this will reduce the effectiveness of pusing the blood around. There will simply be less force on everything after the balloon, because the balloon can squish. Marbles (just like blood) can’t squish.

Answer 2

Imagine your blood as a tube full of marbles. Imagine the heart as pushing on those marbles.

Now imagine taking one of the marbles out and replacing it with a small balloon (an air bubble).

It should be easy to envisage how this will reduce the effectiveness of pusing the blood around. There will simply be less force on everything after the balloon, because the balloon can squish. Marbles (just like blood) can’t squish.