What is the likelyhood of a patient surviving a blood clot in the lungs?

Size matters. : While pulmonary embolism can be a fatal event, most are not. Large clots that lodge at the bifurcation of the major pulmonary veins caused the biggest problem. This is often referred to as a saddle embolus. Many pulmonary embolism's are detected on cat scan of the chest and patients are completely without symptoms.

Very good: Most patient survive their first blood clot, its the second or third that end up causing more damage. This is why making the diagnosis is key and providing treatment to prevent the next one is key.

Surviving lung clots: Large outcome and registry studies suggest that over 80% of unselected patients who develop a first episode of a lung clot will survive it. Those that do not tend to be elderly ( over 75 yrs), have a large saddle embolus , or have medical co morbid conditions or active cancer associated with their lung clot.