BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Pleuritic chest pain, a symptom of pulmonary embolism, is a common presenting symptom in the emergency department. The aim of this study was to validate an algorithm for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in emergency department patients with pleuritic chest pain. METHODS This was a prospective, diagnostic cohort study conducted in a large UK city centre emergency d...

BACKGROUND Survival after surgical embolectomy for massive postcesarean pulmonary embolism causing sustained cardiac arrest is rare. CASE One day after an uneventful cesarean delivery, a woman developed cardiac asystole and apnea due to pulmonary embolism. Femoral-femoral cardiopulmonary bypass performed during continuous cardiopulmonary resuscitation allowed a successful embolectomy. Upon aw...

BACKGROUND Pulmonary embolism has become the third most common cardiovascular disease, which can seriously harm human health. OBJECTIVES To investigate the diagnostic value of dual-source computerized tomography (CT) and perfusion imaging for peripheral pulmonary embolism. PATIENTS AND METHODS Thirty-two patients with suspected pulmonary embolism underwent dual-source CT exams. To compare t...

Pulmonary embolism, a medical emergency for pulmonary physicians, is defined as a blockage of the main artery of the lung or one of its branches by embolism, from many sources, such as thrombus, air, amniotic fluid, tumor, or fat.1 A good clinician, especially a pulmonary or critical care physician, should consider the possible diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in a highly suspected patient, sinc...

Thirty-eight patients with pulmonary embolic disease, other than acute massive pulmonary embolism, have been assessed clinically and by right heart catheterisation and pulmonary arteriography or pulmonary embo-lectomy. In addition, completefollow-up information was obtained in 92 per cent (35) ofpatients 1 to 8 years after their initial illness. On the basis of the history and the pulmonary art...

BACKGROUND Studies aimed at assessing whether the emboli lodged in the central pulmonary arteries carry a worse prognosis than more peripheral emboli have yielded controversial results. AIMS To explore the impact on survival and long-term prognosis of central pulmonary embolism. PATIENTS AND METHODS Consecutive patients diagnosed with acute symptomatic pulmonary embolism by means of compute...

OBJECTIVE To assess the value of transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) for diagnosing suspected haemodynamically significant pulmonary embolism and signs of right ventricular overload at standard echocardiography. METHODS 113 consecutive patients (58 male; 55 female), mean (SD) age 53.6 (13.3) years, in whom there was clinical suspicion of pulmonary embolism and right ventricular overload o...

Isolated left ventricular non-compaction is the result of incomplete myocardial morphogenesis, leading to persistence of the embryonic myocardium. The condition is recognised by an excessively prominent trabecular meshwork and deep intertrabecular recesses of the left ventricle. These intertrabecular recesses are prone to thrombus formation, with resultant embolic sequelae. We describe a case o...

Severe pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening disease requiring a wellbalanced therapeutic approach. It is of upmost importance to differentiate between acute pulmonary embolism and chronic pulmonary embolism in this setting. The management of acute embolism is predominantly carried out by the internal specialist, whereas the therapy of chronic pulmonary embolism is in the domain of the surgi...