air embolism
1
6.0
- noun
- /ɛr ˈɛmbəˌlɪzəm/
- Specialized
:
embolia aérea
- He was hospitalized after suffering an air embolism during the surgery.
Examples
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The athlete collapsed due to an air embolism caused by rapid ascent after scuba diving.
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All sled users should have a working knowledge of Boyle's Law and understand the possible problems involved with pressure-volume changes (e.g., barotrauma, air embolism, and other related problems).
Academic text (1991) -
You can kill someone with an air embolism, right?
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Depth changes without adequate time for the divers to equalize pressure in internal air spaces could result in barotrauma, air embolism, or other related problems.
Academic text (1991) -
Finally, elevating the head to promote venous drainage and diminish intracranial pressure could lead to air embolism through the superior petrosal sinus.
Academic text (2004) -
Doctors warned that an air embolism can be a serious complication of certain medical procedures.
Synonyms
17
8.1
A sudden blockage in a blood vessel by a clot or air bubble carried in the blood
A dangerous problem that happens when air bubbles get into the blood and stop blood flow
Air or gas bubbles in the blood that block blood flow
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning — a blockage of blood vessels caused by air bubbles — is directly compositional from 'air' (gas) + 'embolism' (occlusion of a vessel), so the overall sense is predictable from the parts. Although 'embolism' is specialized medical vocabulary, the noun–noun combination follows a standard, cross-linguistically common compounding pattern, making it transparent to learners who know both constituents.
Etymology
The noun air embolism comes from a simple image: tiny air bubbles act like a plug inside a blood vessel, and embolism is the word for that kind of plug, so the bubbles 'block' the blood flow. That's why the term means 'air in the blood' that can stop circulation and cause serious harm.