Yaz Pulmonary Embolism

Yaz pulmonary embolism is the result of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), a condition in which blood clots form within a deep vein. As long as the clots remain attached to the site at which they form, they are rarely life-threatening. You may experience minor circulation issues, notice swelling, and feel a degree of pain. The true danger materializes when the blood clots break loose.

Deep veins are buried within groups of muscles. The muscles contract when you move and help push oxygen-poor blood toward your heart. The contractions can also dislodge blood clots that have formed within the deep veins. The clots can travel with your bloodstream into the inferior vena cava, a large vein that sends blood from the lower portion of your body to your heart. The clots pass through your heart's right atrium into the right ventricle, and into a pulmonary artery. If they create a large enough obstruction within the artery, they can cause Yaz PE.

Pulmonary embolism is potentially fatal. It is critical that the condition is diagnosed and treated as soon as possible.

Tests To Diagnose Yaz PE

One of the challenges of diagnosing pulmonary embolism is that symptoms can mirror those that accompany heart attack. For example, you might experience a shortness of breath or an accelerated heartbeat. You might feel lightheaded or dizzy. If you are not in need of emergency treatment, your doctor will perform one or more diagnostic tests to clarify the cause of your symptoms.

After doing a physical exam and reviewing your medical history, your physician will take x-rays of your chest. Even though the images cannot show clots within your pulmonary arteries, they will help rule out other factors that may be triggering your symptoms.

A V/Q (ventilation-perfusion) lung scan is then performed to examine the flow of blood and air through your lungs. This is done in two parts. First, you'll be asked to inhale radioactive material. Second, radioactive tracers are injected into your arm. Combined, these substances help your doctor identify Yaz pulmonary embolism.

A conventional CT (computerized tomography) scan can be used to produce 2-dimensional images of your chest area. Spiral and helical CT scans are more popular because they rotate around your body and produce 3-dimensional images. They are faster, more precise, and offer a higher degree of accuracy for diagnosing PE.

Pulmonary angiograms are more accurate than any current diagnostic test used to identify PE. That said, they are seldom performed. They require a high level of specialized skill, and can potentially trigger an arrhythmia or damage your kidneys. Your doctor may order a pulmonary angiogram if he or she is unable to conclusively diagnose PE with other tests.

A D-dimer test can rule out the presence of blood clots in your pulmonary arteries. D-dimers are small clot-dissolving protein fragments that are produced in cases of thrombosis. If a D-dimer test does not detect clots (i.e. the test yields a negative result), pulmonary embolism can be ruled out. However, because these particles can be produced by other factors, a positive result is not a conclusive diagnosis for Yaz PE.

Additional tests that can be performed to help rule out other conditions include ultrasound, chest MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), and electrocardiogram.

Have You Suffered Yaz Pulmonary Embolism?

It is worth emphasizing that many healthy women who have never experienced blood clots have suffered abnormal clotting after using Yaz birth control. This combined-hormone oral contraceptive is known to carry an increased risk of blood clots. If those clots form within a deep vein, Yaz pulmonary embolism becomes a danger.