Abstract
Background: Pulmonary embolism is frequently not diagnosed. Echocardiographic detection of right heart strain may be noted in some patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Material and We collected 6 patients with acute pulmonary embolism whose echocardiogra-Methods: phy revealed evidence of right heart strain. All 6 patients received anticoagulant therapy (unfractioned heparin followed by warfarin). Two of the patients died during their hospitalization. The other 4 patients survived and received echocardiographic examination again after they had received anticoagulant therapy. We analyzed the serial echocardiographic features recorded before and after anticoagulant therapy had been administered to these patients. Results: All 6 patients had dilatation of the right ventricle, 5 patients showed dilatation of the right atrium, and abnormal motion of the interventricular septum was noted in 3 patients. All patients displayed tricuspid regurgitation. Echocardiography was performed in 4 patients after they had received anticoagulant therapy and revealed regression of the right heart strain in all these 4 patients. Conclusion: Echocardiographic detection of right heart strain in patients Who present acute cardiopulmonary manifestations with no previous history of severe pulmonary disease may indicate the possibility of an acute pulmonary embolism.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-180 |
| Number of pages | 6 |
| Journal | Acta Cardiologica Sinica |
| Volume | 16 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| State | Published - 2000 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Acute right heart strain
- Echocardiography
- Pulmonary embolism