HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Poe, N. D. Articles by Taplin, G. V. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Poe, N. D. Articles by Taplin, G. V.

Fatal Pulmonary Embolism

Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine and Radiation Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, California

Correspondence: For reprints contact: Norman D. Poe, Laboratory of Nuclear Medicine, 900 Veteran Ave., Los Angeles, Calif. 90024.

ABSTRACT

In 700 patients with suspected pulmonary embolism, massive embolism was the primary cause of death in seven. Of these seven, all had signs or symptoms of emboli preceding the fatal episode by 1 week or longer. At autopsy adherent emboli in major vessels or branches were present in six and correlated well with the areas of ischemia in the scan. Because lung scanning can detect ischemia produced by occlusion of vessels greater than a few millimeters in diameter and because adherence of the emboli to the intima indicates presence within the vessel for at least 4–5 days, the nonlethal embolic episodes could have been detected in time to institute prophylactic anticoagulation.

Lung scanning, by early confirmation of developing pulmonary embolic disease, combined with adequate anticoagulation should materially reduce the mortality from this disorder.