title: Massive pulmonary embolism.
abstract: An otherwise healthy 48-year-old woman presented in respiratory extremis from massive pulmonary embolism and promptly arrested. She underwent open-chest cardiopulmonary resuscitation followed by portable partial cardiopulmonary bypass and embolectomy but could not be resuscitated. Massive pulmonary embolism is frequently a desperate situation, but aggressive therapy with thrombolysis or embolectomy (in patients with contraindications to thrombolysis) may be lifesaving.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Department, Stanford University Medical Center, CA 94305.
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Klofas
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy