title: The emergency medicine approach to the evaluation and treatment of pulmonary embolism.
abstract: Each year in the United States, up to 900,000 individuals will suffer from acute pulmonary embolism, resulting in an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 hospital admissions. Despite decades of research on the topic, the diagnosis remains elusive in many situations and the fatality rate remains significant. This issue presents a review of the current evidence guiding the emergency medicine approach to the diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary embolism. Key to this approach is the concept of risk stratification: using factors from the history and physical examination, plus ancillary tests, to guide clinical decision making. The pathophysiology of pulmonary embolism and decision-support tools are reviewed, and emergency department management strategies are described.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Amy
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Church
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tichauer
mesh_terms: D019091:Critical Pathways; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004635:Emergency Medicine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010808:Physical Examination; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016306:Vena Cava Filters; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio