Abstract
A subset of initially normotensive patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) may clinically deteriorate and develop systemic arterial hypotension, cardiogenic shock, and sudden death, despite prompt therapeutic-level anticoagulation. Elevated cardiac biomarkers and right ventricular (RV) enlargement on imaging studies identify such vulnerable PE patients who may benefit from more advanced therapies. Clinical examination, electrocardiography, cardiac biomarker determination, chest computed tomogram (CT), and echocardiography are key instruments in the detection of RV dysfunction and risk stratification of patients with acute PE.
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Piazza, G., Hohlfelder, B., Goldhaber, S.Z. (2015). Risk Stratification and Prognosis: Identifying Patients Who May Benefit from Advanced Therapies. In: Handbook for Venous Thromboembolism. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20843-5_6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20843-5_6
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
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