Reference no: EM133634517

Question

An 18-year-old high school football player suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the state playoffs. After undergoing repair, he found it difficult to ambulate with the knee brace. Weighing close to 140 kg (approximately 300 pounds), the athlete found it difficult to stand and balance on one leg. His mother was unable to support him by herself. After 1 week, the young man began to have increased pain and swelling in the calf of his affected leg. In the middle of the night, the teen called out to his mother, complaining of a shortness of breath and unexplained anxiety. His mother called 9-1-1, and he was taken to a local hospital. In the emergency department, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis and a pulmonary embolism. Oxygen and low-molecular-weight heparin were administered, and the young man was admitted to the intensive care unit.

As a result of the thrombus lodging in the pulmonary circulation, the sympathetic nervous system is activated. Hemodynamically, this results in:

1. Vasodilatation

2. Embolization

3. Decreased pulmonary artery pressure

4. Right heart failure

The young man suffers an infarction or death of a portion of his lung tissue. Absent blood flow to a lung segment causes:

1. Surfactant impairment

2. Absorption atelectasis

3. Collateral ventilation of the alveoli

4. Bronchiectasis