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.
A blood clot is an organized clump of hardened blood. Normal blood clotting helps stop blood loss, such as when you get a minor cut or scrape. However, a blood clot that forms inside a blood vessel (artery or vein) or in the heart is called a thrombus and is a serious medical condition. Blood clots can form in the superficial veins just below your skin, or they can form in the deeper, large veins (deep vein thrombosis).