Saddle pulmonary embolism: right ventricular strain an indicator for early surgical approach
Author Department
Medicine
Document Type
Article, Peer-reviewed
Publication Date
6-2016
Abstract
Current mainstay treatment for pulmonary embolism (PE) includes oral anticoagulation, thrombolytic therapy, catheter embolectomy and acute surgical embolectomy. Surgical embolectomy is reserved for hemodynamically unstable patients (cardiogenic shock, cardiac arrest) and contraindication to thrombolytic therapy. We report a case of saddle PE in a young female with echocardiographic signs of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction who underwent early acute surgical embolectomy with a positive outcome. It would be beneficial to use bedside echocardiography even in hemodynamically stable patients to determine RV strain as this could act as an early indicator suggesting the escalation of therapy.
Recommended Citation
Namana V, Siddiqui S, Balasubramanian R, Sarasam R, Shetty V. Saddle pulmonary embolism: right ventricular strain an indicator for early surgical approach. Oxf Med Case Reports. 2016 Jun 1;2016(6):130-4.
PMID
27274856