Pulmonary Embolism: The Value of the Angiographic Diagnosis

We describe the case of a 55-year-old patient with a history of pulmonary embolism who presented in shock with ST-elevation on his electrocardiogram. He was triaged to the catheterization laboratory where he suffered a cardiac arrest. A pulmonary embolism was diagnosed angiographically, the thrombus was aspirated, and he received systemic thrombolysis. The combination of clot debulking and systemic thrombolysis acted synergistically to improve his right ventricular function by resolving his pulmonary hypertension. Although it is associated with a higher bleeding risk, the combination of clot aspiration with a thrombolytic agent in the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism in young patients might warrant further study.