Pulmonary Embolism: Clinical Features and Diagnosis

Pulmonary embolism is a lethal yet treatable disease. Given the significant overlap of symptoms and signs between the presentation of pulmonary embolism and acute coronary syndromes, it becomes clear that emergency room physicians must be familiar with the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. A critical issue is always to consider pulmonary embolism in the differential diagnosis of chest pain. However, the clinical diagnosis of pulmonary embolism remains problematic due to the nonspecific presenting symptoms, signs, electrocardiographic abnormalities, arterial blood gas and chest X-ray findings. D-dimers are becoming a widely available useful laboratory tool in the diagnosis of suspected pulmonary embolism. In this concise overview, the diagnostic value of clinical assessment in patients with possible pulmonary embolism will be explored.