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Overview of acute pulmonary embolism
| AuthorsB Taylor Thompson, MDCharles A Hales, MD | Section EditorJess Mandel, MD | Deputy EditorKevin C Wilson, MD |
Topic Outline
INTRODUCTION
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and often fatal disease. Mortality can be reduced by prompt diagnosis and therapy. Unfortunately, the clinical presentation of PE is variable and nonspecific, making accurate diagnosis difficult.
The incidence, natural history, pathophysiology, risk factors, symptoms, signs, and outcomes of acute PE are reviewed here. The diagnosis and treatment of acute PE are discussed in detail elsewhere. (See "Diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism" and "Treatment of acute pulmonary embolism".)
DEFINITIONS
PE refers to obstruction of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches by material (eg, thrombus, tumor, air, or fat) that originated elsewhere in the body. This topic review focuses on PE due to thrombus. Air emboli and fat emboli are discussed elsewhere. (See "Air embolism" and "Fat embolism syndrome".)
PE can be classified as acute or chronic. Patients with acute PE typically develop symptoms and signs immediately after obstruction of pulmonary vessels. In contrast, patients with chronic PE tend to develop slowly progressive dyspnea over a period of years due to pulmonary hypertension. (See "Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension" and "Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension: Surgical treatment".)
Acute PE can be further classified as massive or submassive:
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Literature review current through:
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