Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common diagnosis throughout the world. In the US it affects approximately 1 in 1000 people and ranks as the 3rd most common cause of death in hospitalized patients. More than 80% of PEs are associated with DVTs in hospitalized patients with risk factors being recent trauma, surgery, immobility or obesity. While it can be entirely asymptomatic, nearly 25% of patients are thought to experience sudden death as their only manifestation of disease.1 Because of this breadth it can be easily missed, and so the true prevalence and manifestations of this condition are not well understood.
Here we describe two patients who were diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism while hospitalized after non-cardiac surgery,
Here we describe two patients who were diagnosed with acute pulmonary embolism while hospitalized after non-cardiac surgery,