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Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Assessment of Right Ventricular Function in the Piglet
Published on: November 4, 2015
Acute pulmonary embolism in childhood
C Heleen Van Ommen1, Marjolein Peters
1Department of Pediatric Hematology, Emma Children's Hospital AMC, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands. c.h.vanommen@amc.uva.nl
Thrombosis Research
|July 5, 2005
Summary
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a rare but serious condition in children, often linked to central venous catheters. Treatment typically involves anticoagulation, with thrombolytics used for unstable patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Medicine
- Cardiovascular Research
- Hematology
Background:
- Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an uncommon yet potentially fatal condition in pediatric patients.
- Central venous catheter presence is the most frequent underlying clinical condition associated with pediatric PE.
- Clinical presentation of PE in children is often subtle or masked by other conditions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for pulmonary embolism in children.
- To highlight the challenges in diagnosing and managing pediatric PE.
- To emphasize the need for further research into the outcomes of pediatric PE.
Main Methods:
- Review of diagnostic modalities including pulmonary angiography, ventilation-perfusion lung scanning, helical computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and echocardiography.
- Discussion of treatment strategies based on clinical presentation, primarily anticoagulation.
- Consideration of thrombolytic therapy for hemodynamically unstable patients.
Main Results:
- Pulmonary angiography remains the gold standard for diagnosing PE in children.
- Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are largely extrapolated from adult studies.
- Anticoagulation is the primary treatment, with thrombolysis reserved for severe cases.
Conclusions:
- Pediatric pulmonary embolism requires careful diagnosis and management, often extrapolated from adult protocols.
- The long-term outcomes of pediatric pulmonary embolism are not well-defined and warrant further investigation.
- Multidisciplinary approaches are crucial for optimizing care in pediatric PE cases.
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