aeroembolism

[ air-oh-em-buh-liz-uhm ]
See synonyms for aeroembolism on Thesaurus.com
nounPathology.
  1. an obstruction of the circulatory system caused by air, as may arise during surgery.

  2. Also called the bends, caisson disease, decompression sickness. an acute condition caused by a rapid substantial decrease in atmospheric pressure, as in high-altitude flying and coming up from deep-sea diving, characterized by the formation of nitrogen bubbles in the blood, severe pain in the lungs and joints, and neurological impairment.

Origin of aeroembolism

1
First recorded in 1935–40; aero- + embolism

Words Nearby aeroembolism

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British Dictionary definitions for aeroembolism

aeroembolism

/ (ˌɛərəʊˈɛmbəˌlɪzəm) /


noun
  1. a former name for air embolism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012