[Causes, signs and outcome of 30 patients with pulmonary embolus]

Authors studied 30 cases of pulmonary emboli in BAMAKO in the departments of Cardiology at Point G hospital. The purpose of this work was to determine the pulmonary emboli's frequency, their signs and symptoms and to observe their outcome. Was eligible to study every patient hospitalised for pulmonary emboli confirmed by clinical signs and D- dimere test, with ECG and echocardiogram in most cases. The pulmonary emboli' frequency was 1,7%, with an average age of 51 years ± 16,9. Among causes the most frequent were hypertension (50%), phlebitis (40%), chronic cor pulmonale (30%), and heart failure (40%). Signs were respiratory distress (80%), haemoptysis (43%), syncope (20%), and circulatory collapse (15%). ECG show mostly right ventricular hypertrophy (93,3%) and x ray sometimes a characteristic aspect. Cardiac echography show essentially ventricular and auricular dilatation with a thrombus in 6,7% of the cases. The treatment was by heparin, AVK and analgesic. Mortality in study was 11, 3 %. So pulmonary embolus is always at high risk and sometimes it's diagnostic is difficult.