Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Pulmonary embolism in respiratory failure.

A Neuhaus, R R Bentz, J G Weg

    Chest
    |April 1, 1978
    PubMed
    Summary

    Diagnosing pulmonary emboli in respiratory failure patients is challenging. Standard tests are often unreliable due to underlying lung disease, making pulmonary angiography crucial for accurate diagnosis.

    Related Concept Videos

    You might also read

    Related Articles

    Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

    Sort by
    Same author

    Organ-specific terpenoid responses in Tanacetum vulgare are chemotype-dependent.

    Plant biology (Stuttgart, Germany)·2026
    Same author

    Low clinical conversion rate in clinically isolated syndrome patients - diagnostic benefit of McDonald 2010 criteria?

    European journal of neurology·2017
    Same author

    [fMRI and DTI in delayed development of number processing].

    Der Radiologe·2015
    Same author

    Ecological validity of walking capacity tests in multiple sclerosis.

    PloS one·2015
    Same author

    A web-based tool for personalized prediction of long-term disease course in patients with multiple sclerosis.

    European journal of neurology·2013
    Same author

    Age and disability accumulation in multiple sclerosis.

    Neurology·2011

    Area of Science:

    • Pulmonology
    • Critical Care Medicine
    • Diagnostic Imaging

    Background:

    • Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality, particularly in critically ill patients.
    • Patients in respiratory intensive care units (RICUs) often present with symptoms that mimic or obscure PE.
    • Accurate diagnosis of PE in this population is crucial for timely and effective treatment.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To investigate the occurrence and diagnostic challenges of pulmonary emboli in patients admitted to a respiratory intensive care unit.
    • To evaluate the utility of common diagnostic methods for pulmonary emboli in patients with severe underlying pulmonary disease.
    • To determine the most reliable method for confirming or excluding pulmonary emboli in this specific patient group.

    Main Methods:

    • Retrospective analysis of 617 patients admitted to a RICU.
    • Review of autopsy findings in 66 patients to determine the incidence of pulmonary emboli.
    • Evaluation of clinical manifestations, chest x-ray, electrocardiogram, arterial blood gas levels, ventilation/perfusion lung scans, and pulmonary angiographic results.
    • Comparison of diagnostic test results with autopsy findings.

    Main Results:

    • Pulmonary emboli were found in 27% of autopsies (18 out of 66 patients).
    • Half of these pulmonary emboli were undiagnosed prior to death, despite diagnostic efforts.
    • Clinical signs, chest x-ray, ECG, and blood gas changes were frequently non-specific or masked by severe pulmonary disease.
    • Ventilation/perfusion lung scans showed poor correlation with other diagnostic methods and autopsy findings, often being inadequate for ruling PE in or out.
    • Pulmonary angiography demonstrated the highest reliability in confirming or excluding PE.

    Conclusions:

    • Pulmonary emboli are frequently missed in patients with respiratory failure admitted to RICUs.
    • The typical clinical and imaging findings of pulmonary emboli are often obscured by severe underlying lung disease.
    • Ventilation/perfusion lung scans are unreliable in this patient population due to ventilation-perfusion abnormalities caused by the underlying pulmonary condition.
    • Pulmonary angiography remains the gold standard for the definitive diagnosis of pulmonary emboli in patients with respiratory failure.

    Related Experiment Videos