Although stroke volume may decrease markedly after acute pulmonary embolism, left ventricular end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) usually changes very little, which suggests that compliance or contractility or both are reduced. To test the hypothesis that the altered LV function during pulmonary embolism is primarily due to reduced preload mediated by increased pericardial constraint, hemodynamics a...

This is one case report of a 46-year-old Chinese male with type A acute aortic dissection. It is an emergent surgery including Bentall procedure, interposition graft replacement of aortic arch, stented descending aorta with the modified right atrial shunt technique. In the early post operation period, the patient was complicated with pulmonary embolism. Pulmanary arteriography showed that the r...

A55-year-old man with a history of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and stroke presented to the emergency room with the acute onset of shortness of breath. He had previously been prescribed warfarin therapy, which was self-discontinued 3 months before admission. A baseline ECG made 6 months before admission showed normal sinus rhythm with a heart rate of 80, an axis of 215°, and no...

BACKGROUND The evaluation of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction by echocardiography is one of the most important established determinants of the prognosis of acute pulmonary embolism. The aim of the study was to investigate possible association between diameter of right descending pulmonary artery on chest X-rays and RV dysfunction by echocardiography in hemodynamically stable pulmonary embolis...

Pulmonary embolism is a disease associated with significant prevalence. Incidence of venous thromboembolism in countries Europe 100–200 cases per 100 thousand year. Annual morbidity for the United States 71–117 000. Surgical pulmonary thrombectomy an effective method treatment, however, remains ambiguous due to small number multicenter studies. In this case report result surgical treatment pati...

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and, therefore, pulmonary embolism (PE) are often preventable. Because of the lack of specificity of symptoms and signs, DVT and PE are frequently clinically unsuspected, leading to substantial diagnostic and therapeutic delays and resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, prophylaxis continues to be dramatically underused. The incidence of venou...

Copyright © 2008 Massachusetts Medical Society. A 62-year-old man presented with a 5-day history of progressively worsening dyspnea and orthopnea after returning from a 3-day business trip to the Far East. On physical examination, the heart rate was 102 beats per minute, and the blood pressure 110/60 mm Hg. The arterial oxygen saturation was 86% while the patient was breathing ambient air. The ...

Most large or fatal pulmonary embolisms (PE) at autopsy were unsuspected ante mortem. Newly identified clinical characteristics of PE enhance our ability to identify potential patients. Because of laudable efforts to diagnose PE, about 90% of outpatient computed tomographic (CT) angiograms are negative. Overuse of CT angiography has resulted in huge expenses and exposure of many to radiation. A...

OBJECTIVE To compare the arterial response of cases of acute and chronic embolism, seeking to associate ischemic pulmonary remodeling with progression to chronicity. METHODS Retrospective analysis of 61 necropsies of patients who died in the Instituto do Coração (31 cases of pulmonary embolism and 30 cases of acute myocardial infarction). Slides of pulmonary tissue were obtained from all case...