Can old people die from embolism?

Elderly people can certainly die from an embolism just as people of any age can. They are more likely to succumb to complications of one dislodging, traveling through the body to the heart, brain, or lung and becoming lodged in an artery in the area. The elderly are also more at risk for developing one in the first place.

Inactivity is one thing that highly contributes to being at risk for an embolism. Especially after surgery or after fall, the blood can easily clot and form an embolism. Obesity greatenes the risk factor too. Since the elderly are more likely to be inactive than younger people and may also be overweight due to their inactivity, this puts them more at risk. Young and old alike can die from an embolism if it lodges in the wrong place and causes damage that is irrepairable.