[Acute massive thromboembolism after pulmonary wedge resection treated with open embolectomy: a case report]

Acute massive pulmonary thromboembolism after pneumonectomy usually results in death if not diagnosed early and treated aggressively. It was a case of acute embolism in the main pulmonary artery with thrombus following right pulmonary wedge resection. Diagnosis was made clinically and with computerized tomography before emergency surgery. Thromboembolectomy was successfully performed on cardiopulmonary bypass and the patient was subsequently discharged home after uneventful recovery. Although the patient had no previous history of thrombosis, he took high dose of warfarin for anticoagulating postoperatively, which suggested that the patient with pulmonary embolism attack may be associated with the hypercoagulable state of his own.