Nurses must be alert to possibility of pulmonary thromboembolism.
Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is one of the leading causes of death in older people. The condition results from a blockage of the pulmonary artery, or its branches, from a venous clot that has dislodged from its site of formation (usually deep veins of the calf or pelvis) and travelled through the venous system.