The incidence of venous thromboembolism after major trauma has been estimated to be as high as 60%, despite appropriate prophylaxis. Pulmonary embolism is associated with deep venous thrombosis and also with significant rates of morbidity and mortality. This study examined risk factors for pulmonary embolism among patients with pelvic and lower-extremity fractures in the National Trauma Data Ba...

Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a serious clinical disorder occurring in trauma patients. The diagnosis of fat embolism syndrome may be difficult to establish clinically. We therefore wanted to investigate the usefulness of bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in the diagnostic evaluation of fat embolism syndrome. We analysed the presence of fat droplets in BAL cells in 32 trauma patients (7 with full d...

Xylem failure via gas embolism (cavitation) induced by water stress was investigated in the palm Rhapis excelsa (Thumb.) Henry. Xylem embolism in excised stems and petioles was detected using measurements of xylem flow resistance: a decrease in resistance after the removal of flow-impeding embolisms by a pressure treatment indicated their previous presence in the axis. Results supported the val...

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...

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a risk factor for pulmonary embolism. Elevated D-dimer levels and other biomarkers are associated with recurrent pulmonary embolism. The objectives were to compare the frequency of elevated D-dimer levels (>500 ng·mL(-1)) and further coagulation biomarkers after oral anticoagulation withdrawal in pulmonary embolism patients, with and without obstructive sleep apnoea,...

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...

OBJECTIVE To determine the ability of conventional and Doppler echocardiography to distinguish between minor, acute massive, and subacute massive pulmonary embolism in patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism. DESIGN Prospective study of a consecutive series of 47 patients with confirmed pulmonary embolism. SETTING Department of internal medicine, university clinic. PATIENTS 11 patients...

RATIONALE Clinical probability assessment is a fundamental step in the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. OBJECTIVES To develop a predictive model for pulmonary embolism based on clinical symptoms, signs, and the interpretation of the electrocardiogram. METHODS The model was developed from a database of 1,100 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, of whom 440 had the disease confirmed by...

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...

To determine the sensitivities and specificities of ventilation/perfusion lung scans for acute pulmonary embolism, a random sample of 933 of 1493 patients was studied prospectively. Nine hundred thirty-one underwent scintigraphy and 755 underwent pulmonary angiography; 251 (33%) of 755 demonstrated pulmonary embolism. Almost all patients with pulmonary embolism had abnormal scans of high, inter...