title: Acute Surgical Abdomen: An Unusual Presentation of Pulmonary Embolus.
abstract: Background. Pulmonary embolism is a common and potentially lethal condition. Most patients who die from massive pulmonary embolism do so within the first few hours of the event. The clinical manifestations of pulmonary embolism are nonspecific, which makes the diagnosis difficult. Case Report. We present a case of massive pulmonary embolism presenting as an acute surgical abdomen that underwent exploratory laparotomy and made a complete recovery. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this? Emergency department physicians should be aware that massive pulmonary embolism could present as an acute surgical abdomen in young healthy individuals.
authors.affiliation: Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nader
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Mane
authors.affiliation: Woodstock General Hospital, Woodstock, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Faisal
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Al-Mane
authors.affiliation: Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
authors.forename: Zein
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Abdalla
authors.affiliation: Naas General Hospital, Naas, Co. Kildare, Ireland.
authors.forename: Joe
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McDonnell
keywords: abdominal pain; cardiac arrest; laparotomy; massive pulmonary embolism; surgical abdomen