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Pulmonary Embolism - PE

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PE) can be life-threatening and difficult to diagnosis due to its non-specific signs and symptoms. Because of the uncertainty in diagnosis and potential morbidity and mortality of missed diagnosis, investigation of patients with a suspected PE has increased dramatically. However, the overuse and inappropriate application of some tests for investigation of PE, in particular computer tomography pulmonary angiogram (CTPA) and plasma D-dimer, may not improve patient care, whilst potentially exposing patients to unnecessary harm and incurring expense.

Acknowledgements

These guidelines were developed based on work done by Dr Mark Newcombe Emergency and retrieval Specialist Illawarra.

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