Fat Embolism: The Term Unexplained In “House”

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LOS ANGELES (GaeaTimes.com)- What exactly is fat embolism? The term was referred to in the final episode of the popular ABC television series “House” and since then people have been very eager to know more about the term. Considering the fact that social networking site Twitter has become the most popular mode of communication, people are also tweeting on the subject.

Thanks to the television serial, people are now talking of death caused by an ailment that was supposedly not even heard of before. According to medical history, fat embolism was first detected in the year 1873. Doctors explained that the syndrome was the result of an accumulation of fat macro globules in the thin tracts of the lungs which leads to breathing problems as the fat in the lungs choke the respiratory passage.

Fat embolism according to doctors is a very rare disease and is also very difficult to detect in a person. Although the cause for the development of such a disease may be a minor fracture, a tissue injury, burns on the skin or any respiratory disorder, many of us are quite unfamiliar with the term. After the recent mention of fat embolism by one of the characters in “House”, the common man seems to have become addicted to the term and is on the hunt for sources which may help them to get a better explanation of the medical term, an explanation that was not provided in the serial.

In the final episode of “House”, the character of Hannah dies of fat embolism, which is caused by an amputation operation. Since then people have been on the lookout for an explanation to fat embolism.