fat embolism

embolism /em·bo·lism/ (em´bŏ-lizm) the sudden blocking of an artery by a clot or foreign material which has been brought to its site of lodgment by the blood current.

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air embolism  that due to air bubbles entering the veins from trauma, surgical procedures, or severe decompression sickness.

cerebral embolism  embolism of a cerebral artery.

coronary embolism  embolism of a coronary artery.

fat embolism  obstruction by a fat embolus, occurring especially after fractures of large bones.

miliary embolism  embolism affecting many small blood vessels.

paradoxical embolism  blockage of a systemic artery by a thrombus originating in a systemic vein that has passed through a defect in the interatrial or interventricular septum.

pulmonary embolism  obstruction of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches by an embolus.

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fat embolism

n.

The presence of fat globules that obstruct circulation, usually the result of fractures of a long bone, burns, parturition, or the fatty degeneration of the liver.

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fat embolism,

a circulatory condition characterized by the blocking of an artery by a plug of fat. The plug enters the circulatory system after the fracture of a long bone or, less commonly, after traumatic injury to adipose tissue or to a fatty liver. Fat embolism usually occurs suddenly 12 to 36 hours after an injury and is characterized by symptoms related to the site occluded, such as severe chest pain, pallor, dyspnea, tachycardia, delirium, prostration, and in some cases coma. Anemia and thrombocytopenia are common. Systemic fat embolism may occur after extensive trauma, since lipid metabolism is altered by the injury and free fatty acids are released, resulting in vasculitis with obstruction of many small pulmonary and cerebral arteries. Classic signs of systemic fat embolism are petechial hemorrhages on the neck, shoulders, axillae, and conjunctivae that appear 2 or 3 days after the injury. Radiographic findings include patchy diffuse opacities throughout the lungs. There is no specific therapy for systemic fat embolism. The patient is placed in a high Fowler's position and given oxygen, corticosteroids, blood transfusion, respiratory assistance, or other supportive care as needed. Compare air embolism, gas embolism.

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fat,

n 1. a substance composed of lipids or fatty acids and occurring in various forms or consistencies ranging from oil to tallow.
2. a type of connective tissue containing stored lipids.

fat embolism

(em´bliz´m),
n a circulatory condition characterized by the blocking of an artery by an embolus of fat that enters the circulatory system after the fracture of a long bone, or less commonly, after traumatic injury to fatty tissue or to a fatty liver.

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fat

1. the adipose or fatty tissue of the body.

2. neutral fat; a triglyceride (or triacylglycerol), which is an ester of fatty acids and glycerol (a trihydric alcohol). Each fat molecule contains one glycerol residue connected by ester linkages to three fatty acid residues, which may be the same or different. The fatty acids may have no double bonds in the carbon chain (saturated fatty acids), one double bond (monounsaturated), or two or more double bonds (polyunsaturated).

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fat absorption test

assesses the absorptive capacity of the small intestine, quantitatively by measuring serum lipid levels or qualitatively by plasma turbidity, at timed intervals after the oral administration of fats.

animal fat

a most important abattoir by-product providing edible fat for the human food chain. Products include oleo oil and oleo stearin used in margarine manufacture and dripping for commercial baking. Nonedible fats go to leather dressings, glycerol manufacture and lubricants. Beef and pork fat are the valuable ones, mutton fat having too strong a flavor for edible fat.

boiling (burning) fat

see acrolein poisoning.

fat cattle

a class of beef cattle of any age but usually greater than one year, well-covered and judged ready for slaughter to provide prime cuts of beef.

fat cow syndrome

a syndrome of anorexia and ketonuria that occurs in overfat cows at calving. Precipitated by events that interfere with the cow's feed intake for even short periods. A poor response to treatment and many cows die.

Fatty liver in fat cow syndrome. By permission from Blowey RW, Weaver AD, Diseases and Disorders of Cattle, Mosby, 1997

crude fat

that part of a feed that is extractable by ether. Includes fat, oil, wax, resin and some pigments.

dietary fat

a rich source of energy for carnivores and omnivores and to a limited extent ruminants. Are usually too expensive for widespread use other than as excipients. They aid in the formation of pellets and in reducing dustiness. Their problem is a tendency to rancidification unless an antioxidant is added.

fat embolism

lesion created by a fat embolus.

fat embolus

globules of fat, sufficient to act as emboli occur usually after trauma or surgery, but can also occur in hyperlipemia, myositis and atherosclerosis.

fat ewe pregnancy toxemia

occurs when there is a voluntary restriction of food intake in late pregnancy associated with lack of ruminal expansion potential caused by excess abdominal fat and multiple fetuses. It is common in hobby sheep farms where it is thought that ewes should lamb with body condition scores greater than 4 rather than less than 3.5.

leaf fat

the best edible fat from a pig carcass, from under the peritoneum.

fat marbling

deposition of fat between muscle fibers. A highly desirable characteristic in beef. Is a guarantee of a carcass from a young animal.

fat necrosis

necrosis in which fat is broken down into fatty acids and glycerol, usually occurring in subcutaneous tissue as a result of trauma. See also lipomatosis.

orbital fat

fat located deep to the eyeball; substantial amounts provide good shock-absorbent surroundings.

perivaginal fat prolapse

during a difficult parturition in a fat cow or heifer perivaginal fat is pushed caudally and bursts through the vaginal wall into the vagina.

fat phanaerosis

conversion in the tissues of invisible fatty substances into fat which can be stained and thus become visible.

fat prolapse

see perivaginal fat prolapse (above).

fat sheep

a class of meat sheep of any age but usually greater than one year, well-covered and judged ready for slaughter to provide prime cuts of mutton.

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fat embolism

An embolus containing fat, an event that follows long bone fractures, and less commonly, hepatic trauma; embolic fat 'metastasizes' to the lungs, causing dyspnea, shock, to the brain causing coma, to the kidneys causing lipiduria. See Embolism.