What are free-floating thrombus in the bloodstream called?

Free-floating thrombus in the bloodstream is referred to as an embolus. An embolus is a mass that travels through the circulatory system and can obstruct blood vessels. This can happen when a thrombus, which is a blood clot that has formed in a blood vessel, detaches and moves through the bloodstream. If it lodges in a narrow vessel, it can lead to serious complications such as an embolism, which may cause tissue damage or loss of blood flow.

In contrast, a thrombus refers specifically to a blood clot that is firmly attached at its site of formation, while a clot is a more general term that can refer to a mass formed by the aggregation of platelets and fibrin at the site of a vascular injury. Fibrin is a protein that plays a crucial role in the clotting process by forming a mesh that stabilizes the clot, but it is not a term used to describe a free-floating entity in the bloodstream.