It starts quietly—no warning, no pain, just a hidden threat moving through your body. What if a few simple actions could protect you against one of the most dangerous silent killers? In How to Prevent Pulmonary Embolism: Essential Tips to Know, you’ll discover the steps that could make a real difference. But first, do you know how close the risk actually is?
Book an appointment with an internist doctor to learn more.
What Are the Best Ways to Prevent Pulmonary Embolism?
The most effective way to prevent pulmonary embolism is appropriate anticoagulation, especially for patients with a confirmed diagnosis of thrombophilia or other high-risk conditions. These individuals may require long-term anticoagulant therapy.
Anticoagulation must be safe, effective, and carefully monitored by a healthcare professional to lower the risk of blood clots without causing bleeding complications.
There are also preventive strategies that can be useful for both healthy individuals and those with risk factors:
| Regular physical activity | Stimulates blood flow and prevents venous stasis |
| Avoiding prolonged immobility | Reduces risk during long trips or extended bed rest |
| Maintaining a healthy weight | Lessens strain on the cardiovascular system |
| Managing blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes | Lowers general cardiovascular risk |
| Quitting smoking | Improves vascular and respiratory health |
| Using compression stockings when indicated | Enhances venous return in people with venous insufficiency |
| Staying hydrated, especially during travel | Keeps blood flow steady |
| Following up after surgery or immobilization | Helps initiate preventive treatments as needed |
After major surgery or periods of illness-related immobility, low-molecular-weight heparin is often prescribed as a preventive treatment for several weeks. Other therapies may be used depending on the patient’s condition.
Preventing pulmonary embolism requires a mix of medical interventions and healthy daily habits. Identifying and managing risk factors, responding quickly in clinical settings, and using effective treatments can be life-saving.
1. Stay Active and Exercise Regularly
Staying active and exercising regularly is one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism. Long periods of inactivity cause blood to pool in the legs, which increases the chance of clot formation. Movement improves circulation and helps blood vessels function properly.
Exercise brings several benefits for heart and lung health. Key effects include:
| Improved circulation | Reduces blood pooling in deep veins, especially in the legs |
| Stronger cardiovascular system | Helps the heart pump blood more efficiently |
| Better lung capacity | Supports oxygen delivery and reduces respiratory strain |
| Continuous blood flow stimulation | Lowers the chance of clot development |
| Reduced inactivity | Counters one of the top risk factors: prolonged sitting or lying |
Making exercise part of your routine is a powerful way to protect your circulatory health. Every step helps.
2. Wear Compression Stockings
Compression stockings, especially graduated ones, are an effective tool for preventing pulmonary embolism. By applying gentle, decreasing pressure along the leg, these garments promote blood return to the heart and reduce the chance of clots formation and traveling to the lungs.
How do compression stockings work?
The design creates the highest pressure at the ankle, gradually decreasing upward. This helps counteract blood pooling in the lower limbs and encourages healthy circulation.
Wearing compression stockings is a simple, noninvasive measure that can protect against a potentially life-threatening condition. Including them in your routine, especially during high-risk periods, can significantly support vascular health.
3. Stay Hydrated
Drinking enough water each day is one of the easiest and most effective ways to lower the risk of pulmonary embolism. Dehydration can thicken the blood, making it easier for clots to form in the deep veins of the legs. Once dislodged, these clots can travel to the lungs and block arteries.
Why does hydration matter?
| Keeps blood thin and flowing | Decreases the likelihood of clot formation |
| Enhances overall circulation | Maintains steady blood movement |
| Reduces blood viscosity | Prevents pooling in the veins during periods of limited mobility |
| Supports electrolyte balance | Helps maintain normal functioning of the circulatory system |
Hydration is an easy preventive habit with significant health benefits. Staying hydrated every day can strengthen your circulatory defenses.
4. Take Anticoagulant Medications if Prescribed
If your healthcare provider has prescribed anticoagulants, take them exactly as directed. These medications help prevent pulmonary embolism by reducing the likelihood of new clots forming and stopping existing ones from growing.
Why use anticoagulants?
Pulmonary embolism often occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein and travels to the lungs, blocking a pulmonary artery. Anticoagulants help stop this process by lowering the blood’s ability to clot abnormally.
How do they work?
While anticoagulants don’t dissolve existing clots, they keep new ones from forming and allow the body to gradually absorb existing ones.
Staying consistent with your anticoagulant therapy and following medical advice helps ensure a safer, more effective treatment that protects your heart and lungs.
5. Manage Underlying Health Conditions
Preventing pulmonary embolism also means managing chronic health issues that increase the risk of clots. This includes maintaining healthy habits and controlling existing medical conditions.
Conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and heart disease increase the chance of clot formation and interfere with normal blood flow.
| High blood pressure | Can increase clot formation by stressing the blood vessels |
| High cholesterol | May promote plaque and clot development |
| Obesity | Impairs circulation and puts extra pressure on veins |
| Heart disease | Disrupts normal blood flow and heart function |
Effective treatment of these conditions directly reduces the risk of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Ongoing monitoring and good habits help maintain long-term circulatory health.
Conclusion
Preventing pulmonary embolism means being proactive about reducing the risk. Pulmonary embolism can strike suddenly and without warning. Recognizing symptoms, knowing personal risk factors, and taking preventive action are crucial to avoiding complications.
For those with diagnosed thrombophilia, lifelong anticoagulation may be the best option when managed safely and effectively under medical supervision. In cases where anticoagulants can’t be used, vena cava filters provide another option by stopping clots before they reach the lungs.
Staying committed to your vascular health makes a big difference. This includes healthy routines, managing chronic conditions like high blood pressure or cholesterol, and staying alert to warning signs like leg swelling or shortness of breath. With early detection, proper treatment, and better awareness, pulmonary embolism can be prevented—and lives can be protected.
Sources:
- Duffett, L., Castellucci, L. A., & Forgie, M. A. (2020). Pulmonary embolism: update on management and controversies. Bmj, 370.
- Vrettou, C. S., Dima, E., & Sigala, I. (2024). Pulmonary Embolism in Critically Ill Patients—Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management. Diagnostics, 14(19), 2208.