Massive Pulmonary Embolism in Recovery Period of General Anesthesia: Rapid Diagnosis and Successful Rescue by the Guidance of Transthoracic Echocardiography

Massive pulmonary embolism (PE), an uncommon event in the perioperative period, is a major challenge to anesthesia management. Massive PE is often associated with an unexpected hemodynamic collapse and severe desaturation without other characteristic changes. It is difficult to make a rapid diagnosis during the perioperative period, especially under general anesthesia. We present a rare case of massive PE diagnosed with transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the recovery period of general anesthesia.