Surgery can cause bleeding, infection, or allergic reaction to anesthesia . A person's condition after treatment will vary, depending on the cause of the pulmonary embolus. For example, a woman who recovers from a fluid embolus during pregnancy is free to return to normal activities. No further treatment may be needed. If the cause of an embolus is a blood clot, a person usually needs to take blood thinners, such as warfarin.
Treatment usually lasts for several months.
A person who has had more than one pulmonary embolus may need to take blood thinners for life. If blood thinners cannot be tolerated for some reason, a person may need to undergo a special procedure. This procedure inserts a filtering device in a major vein leading back to the heart. The filter stops an embolus from getting into the lungs. Individuals on blood-thinning medications will have periodic blood tests to monitor the thickness of their blood.