Diagnosis of pulmonary embolism at the emergency department

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most common acute cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke. Nevertheless, the diagnosis still remains difficult in the emergency setting. Clinical suspicion is raised by risk factors and often unspecific symptoms. The next step is to determine the pretest probability of PE either with validated scores or clinical gestalt. This probability is further refined with various diagnostic tests for which indications and limitations should be known. This systematic approach allows an efficient diagnosis of PE, avoiding the overconsumption of tests. The aim of our work is to review the practical diagnostic approach of PE at the emergency department in hemodynamically stable patients.