How should acute pulmonary embolism with right ventricular dilation be managed?
A clinical vignette highlighting the presentation of acute pulmonary embolism with right ventricular strain to discuss management strategies.
A 62-year-old man presented with a 5-day history of progressively worsening dyspnea and orthopnea after returning from a 3-day business trip to the Far East. On physical examination, the heart rate was 102 beats per minute and the blood pressure 110/60 mm Hg. The lungs were clear, and the extremities appeared normal. A computed tomographic scan showed multiple thrombi in the pulmonary arteries and a dilated right ventricle. How should this case be managed?
Stavros Konstantinides (2008) studied this question.