Incidence and prevention of pulmonary embolism after coronary artery surgery.
Pulmonary embolism is one of the common complications of aortocoronary artery graft surgery. During one year period, 22 patients had documented evidence of pulmonary embolism out of 231 patients who were operated. There were four deaths and all confirmed by autopsy. Clinical signs of phlebitis were absent in many cases of pulmonary embolism. Elastic stockings were not effective to prevent phlebitis. Heparin did not prevent deaths in all four patients. Heparin therapy and aggressive caval interruption by Modin-Uddin umbrella has eliminated deaths in the last 450 cases.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000175:diagnosis; D003020:Clothing; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012501:Saphenous Vein / Q000637:transplantation; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous
D006493:Heparin