Diagnosis and Management of Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary embolism is a challenging pathology commonly faced by emergency physicians, and diagnosis and management remain a crucial skill set. Inherent to the challenge is the breadth of presentation, ranging from asymptomatic pulmonary emboli to sudden cardiac death. Diagnosis and exclusion have evolved over time and now use a combination of clinical decision calculators and updates to the classic d-dimer cutoffs. Management of pulmonary emboli revolves around appropriate anticoagulation, which for most of the patients will comprise newer oral agents. However, there remains a substantial degree of practice variation and ambiguity when it comes to higher risk patients with submassive or massive pulmonary emboli.