1.What is pulmonary embolism? The lungs are an important organ in the body responsible for gas exchange. The lungs are covered with rich blood vessels, which are the basis for the normal working of the lungs. When the pulmonary artery and its branches are blocked by emboli, it will block the blood supply to the lung and pulmonary embolism occurs. Severe pulmonary embolism can cause respiratory distress, shock and even cardiac arrest in a short time, and the patient often dies in time for resuscitation. 2.Why does fracture induce pulmonary embolism? Patients with bone fracture are the most likely to suffer from pulmonary embolism, which is related to three factors. On the one hand, the limbs of fracture patients often have difficulty in moving, which leads to blood stagnation and easy formation of blood clots. On the other hand, fractures are often accompanied by vascular damage and bleeding, and the damage to the vascular endothelium makes the inner wall of the blood vessels unsmooth, making it easy to form thrombi. In addition, fracture increases the chance of fat from bone marrow entering the blood, which tends to form fat clots. No matter the above-mentioned blood clot or fat embolism, they all have the chance to block the pulmonary artery and its branches, leading to pulmonary embolism. 3.How to prevent pulmonary embolism? To prevent pulmonary embolism, two points should be grasped, one is to prevent various kinds of emboli, and the other is to prevent emboli from entering the pulmonary artery. For the former, the common methods include: ① start limb activity and functional exercise as early as possible; ② wear elastic stockings for lower limbs and assisted pneumatic pump therapy; ③ use anticoagulant drugs, such as Speedy, aspirin, and Pentoxifylline, etc. The main method to prevent embolus from entering the pulmonary artery is to place inferior vena cava filter, but it has not been commonly used in the clinic because of the high price. 4.What should I do if I have a pulmonary embolism? The occurrence of unexplained dyspnea, chest pain, or swelling and pain of lower limbs after fracture should be highly alert to the possibility of pulmonary embolism. Doctors and nurses should be notified immediately to arrange further examination to clarify the diagnosis, and patients in critical condition may need to start resuscitation immediately. The treatment measures for pulmonary embolism include: ① oxygenation and ventilator-assisted ventilation if necessary; ② patients with acute circulatory failure should be resuscitated with positive inotropic drugs and vasoactive drugs; ③ use of thrombolytic drugs, but they are prone to severe bleeding reactions; ④ use of anticoagulant drugs. Because of the rapid onset and progression of severe pulmonary embolism, the success rate of resuscitation is very low once it develops. Therefore, the significance of pulmonary embolism prevention is much greater than treatment. Patients and family members should actively cooperate with the doctors and nurses in the treatment arrangement during hospitalization to avoid pulmonary embolism as much as possible.