Foreign body. Atelectasis is common in children who have inhaled an object, such as a peanut or small toy part, into their lungs. Narrowing of major airways from disease. Chronic infections, including fungal infections, tuberculosis and other diseases, can scar and constrict major airways. Tumor in a major airway.
He'll be placed on blood thinners to break up the clots...which can take from days to weeks. This is also a very dangerous time for him, as a clot could travel and lodge in a coronary artery on his heart, causing a heart attack, or it could travel and lodge in an artery in his brain causing a stroke.
The experience depends largely on how long the patient had the blood clots before they were diagnosed and treated and how severe the pulmonary embolism or embolisms were. For many patients recovery will take a number of months. A few patients will be lucky enough to have a short recovery of a few days.