TV Show “House” Prompts Fat Embolism Search
A hit TV show has prompted many people to research a medical term they were otherwise unfamiliar with. The term that has millions of people curious is “fat embolism.” The condition was highlighted on the television show “House,” a popular medical drama. In the series, Dr. House is tasked with diagnosing a new, rare condition during every episode.
Fat embolism is a real condition that people may suffer from without even knowing about it until it is too late. A fat embolism occurs after surgery, trauma, and in some cases, childbirth. A fatty liver can also cause the condition. A fat embolism occurs when fat is allowed to seep into the circulatory system. This can happen when a large bone like the femur breaks. The embolism will usually begin to cause problems one to three days after the injury. The fatty tissue is too heavy and thick to move throughout the circulatory system and ultimately creates a blockage. The reduction in blood flow can cause grave problems if not treated immediately. The symptoms can range from mild to severe. They include shortness of breath, a petechial rash, confusion, agitation, anemia and in serious cases a person may slip into a coma or have seizures.
Many fat embolisms can be prevented by setting a broken bone immediately. The condition is relatively rare in orthopedic patients, only .25 to 1.25 percent of patients ever experience a fat embolism. Those that have multiple injuries have an increased risk of 5 to 10 percent. Treatment is usually successful once doctors isolate the problem. 
What’s the treatment….
uh.. 1-3 days later??? this hap[pened to this broad within a matter of hours. Seems unrealistic.
Yeah, Dick. House never exaggerates medical conditions.
Assuming this website is accurate for the onset of this condition, you have to take into account the fact that the show itself is only roughly 45 min long, and they probably just didn’t have enough time to show a period of a few days.
A fat embolism can occur almost immediately. It doesn’t always take a day.
A fat embolism is real. It can occur after trauma like a broken bone, usually of the longer bones such as the femur. It has a rapid onset within 12-48 hours after the trauma but MAY occur up to 10 days after. Usually corticosteroids given IV is the treatment as well as prompt respiratory support.
Most of you idiots are forgetting that none of you are doctors and have no idea what you’re talking about. A fat embolism can kill quite quickly after a hasty amputation or even one done within a sterile medical environment. There is no one fast and exact outcome for every patient. Please also go to medical school or pick up a freaking text book before you all decide to post ever again.
Fat embolisms usually occur after a deep cut or trauma to the body, or in any case that causes fat to seep into the circulatory system, causing it to become an embolism (any foreign materials in the circulatory system). embolisms can then cause issues with blood flow and respiratory systems (and other less common effects). because of the nature of this condition, both the effects and onset can vary greatly from case to case, such as almost immediately after an unsterilized surgery (on house) and this website’s example. treatment is corticosteroids which usually work, except in the acute cases with short onset or when treatment is delayed or unavailable.
basically a chunk of fat in an artery or vein