[Fatal postoperative pulmonary embolism]

A total of 76 cases were investigated in which fatal postoperative pulmonary embolisms were identified at the necroptic study. The following aspects are considered: the high incidence of fatal postoperative pulmonary embolisms in patients without favouring factors in antecedents (38%), and of patients operated for benign affections (50.6%); the rare occurrence of clinical signs of venous thrombosis in patients with fatal postoperative pulmonary embolisms (11.8%); the high incidence of early fatal postoperative pulmonary embolisms (46%)--in the first three days after surgery, of which 26.3% in the first 24 hours and the importance of their identification so as to exclude an erroneous interpretation of the cause of death, and finally the indications and the limitations of the prophylactic treatment with low amounts of heparin.