Editing Embolus (section)

== Clinical significance ==
Emboli are clinically significant for their capacity to cause embolisms, which are a major cause of morbidity and mortality.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Khan|first1=Faizan|last2=Rahman|first2=Alvi|last3=Carrier|first3=Marc|last4=Kearon|first4=Clive|last5=Weitz|first5=Jeffrey I.|last6=Schulman|first6=Sam|last7=Couturaud|first7=Francis|last8=Eichinger|first8=Sabine|last9=Kyrle|first9=Paul A.|last10=Becattini|first10=Cecilia|last11=Agnelli|first11=Giancarlo|date=2019-07-24|title=Long term risk of symptomatic recurrent venous thromboembolism after discontinuation of anticoagulant treatment for first unprovoked venous thromboembolism event: systematic review and meta-analysis|journal=BMJ|language=en|volume=366|pages=l4363|doi=10.1136/bmj.l4363|issn=0959-8138|pmid=31340984|pmc=6651066|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last= |date=2019-10-31 |title=Significant risk of another thrombosis remains if anticoagulation is stopped |url=https://evidence.nihr.ac.uk/alert/significant-risk-of-another-thrombosis-remains-if-anticoagulation-is-stopped- |journal=NIHR Evidence |type=Plain English summary |doi=10.3310/signal-000830|s2cid=242392407 }}</ref> By themselves, emboli are pathologic and therefore indicate some underlying dysfunction.

It may be difficult in the clinical setting to differentiate a thrombotic event (i.e., a local clot at the site of symptoms) from an embolic event (i.e., local obstruction due to a free-floating mass that traveled through circulation from elsewhere in the body).
[[File:Pulmonary thromboembolus, recent (7307510958).jpg|thumb|This pulmonary [[thromboembolism]] was the result of a [[thrombus]] (blood clot) detaching from the wall of a distant blood vessel. It then traveled through circulation until lodging in this pulmonary vessel, becoming a thromboembolism. ]]
Septic emboli may also be a contributor to spreading infection through the bloodstream to other tissues.<ref>{{Citation |last=Elsaghir |first=Hend |title=Septic Emboli |date=2022 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549827/ |work=StatPearls |place=Treasure Island (FL) |publisher=StatPearls Publishing |pmid=31751017 |access-date=2022-11-08 |last2=Al Khalili |first2=Yasir}}</ref>