Pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of an artery in the lungs by a substance that has moved from elsewhere in the body through the bloodstream. Symptoms of a PE... Wikipedia

• Specialty:  Hematology, cardiology, pulmonology, Emergency medicine
• Symptoms:  Shortness of breath, chest pain, coughing up blood
• Usual onset:  Advanced age
• Risk factors:  Cancer, prolonged bed rest, blunt trauma, smoking, stroke, certain genetic conditions, estrogen-based medication, pregnancy, obesity, after surgery
• Diagnostic method:  Based on symptoms, D-dimer, CT pulmonary angiography, lung ventilation/perfusion scan
• Treatment:  Anticoagulants (heparin, warfarin, DOACs)
• Frequency:  ~450,000 per year (USA), 430,000 (Europe)
• Deaths:  >10–12,000 per year (US), >30–40,000 per year (Europe)
• Data source:  DuckDuckGo