Hypoxia and Medicine

With a thrombosis does ischemia occur both upstream and downstream of the clot?

I understand that a clot will block blood flow thereby preventing tissue downstream from receiving oxygen however wouldn't the red blood cells, which are trapped upstream of the clot, eventually run out of oxygen and cause upstream tissue to become ischemic too?

Public Comments

1. Probably to a very small degree. The cells will usually escape via capillaries.
2. It would depend on the degree of occlusion , and it's location. A proximal occlusion would cause more symptoms and cellular necrosis than a distal occlusion. Hopefully if the patient gets to an ER they could administer TPA or Streptokinase, or angioplasty. The saying of the CCU is 'time is muscle".Ischemia and necrosis both occur because of the obstruction of blood flow, how fast you respond to the situation would determine the outcome.