Prognostic value of platelet mass index in pulmonary emboli in the emergency department

Aim: Pulmonary embolism is one of the common causes of pulmonary emergencies that are encountered frequently in the emergency department, the diagnosis of which can be extended or skipped. It is approximately one-third of the causes of death in the emergency room. A missed diagnosis increases mortality rates fivefold. Many scoring systems can be used in diagnosis but it may lead to prolonged stay in the emergency room and increase cost and mortality rate. This study primarily aims to evaluate PMI (Platelet mass index) in early diagnosis and mortality relationship in clinically compatible cases. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism in the emergency room between 01.01.2018 and 01.03.2020. From accessed data of all patients, vital signs, additional diseases, laboratory parameters, PESI scores, and one-month mortality rates were recorded with given thrombolytic treatments. Results: One hundred forty patients, with available data were included in the analysis. Patients were classified according to mortality. In the mortal group, PMI value was 1.55 & 1.2 and lower, respectively, than the non-mortal group (p: 0.031). In addition, when compared with the non-mortal group, in the mortal group, lactate, troponin, D-Dimer and PESI score increase were statistically significant (p <0.001). Discussion: PMI value decreased in the mortal patient group. PMI can be useful in predicting the course of the disease and the risk of mortality in patients diagnosed with pulmonary embolism.