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Pulmonary Embolism

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Echocardiography

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Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common condition with an incidence exceeding 1 in 1000 and a mortality rate of >15% in the first 3 months after diagnosis. It has a wide clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic, small PE to large, life-threatening causing haemodynamic instability and cardiogenic shock. Early diagnosis is therefore essential so early treatment can be instituted. PE may be separated in acute PE often presenting in the emergency department with acute onset of chest pain and the differential diagnosis from myocardial infarction is often challenging. Chronic PE in the other hand may be a more long-standing condition leading to breathlessness and right heart failure. The differential diagnosis from other causes of breathlessness and heart failure may be difficult.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Echocardiography, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    David Dawson

  2. Imperial College London, NHLI, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    Petros Nihoyannopoulos

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  1. David Dawson
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  2. Petros Nihoyannopoulos
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Correspondence to Petros Nihoyannopoulos .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College London National Heart & Lung Institute, London, UK

    Petros Nihoyannopoulos

  2. Duke Heart Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Joseph Kisslo

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Dawson, D., Nihoyannopoulos, P. (2018). Pulmonary Embolism. In: Nihoyannopoulos, P., Kisslo, J. (eds) Echocardiography. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71617-6_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71617-6_17

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-71615-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71617-6

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