[Successful treatment of a massive pulmonary embolism after 90-minute external heart massage]

A 27-year-old woman sustained a massive pulmonary embolism (cause unknown) with circulatory arrest. She was intubated and ventilated while external cardiac massage was performed and urokinase was infused (1.5 X 10(6) U/h). These resuscitative measures were continued while she was transferred by helicopter to the nearest cardiothoracic surgical centre, 40 km away. Thrombectomy was successfully accomplished under extracorporeal circulation after (from its onset) 90 minutes of external cardiac massage. No neurological or other sequelae occurred. This case demonstrates that early and continuous resuscitative measures in a general hospital, followed by rapid transfer to a cardiothoracic surgical centre with immediate operation, can achieve a successful outcome.