Warning Signs, Symptoms & Risk Markers of a Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary Embolisms are the third leading cause of death in the United States. However, when detected the survival rate is good. There are several symptoms that typically lead to a pulmonary embolism diagnosis. They may include a sudden shortness of breath, rapid breathing, chest pain or tightness, a bad cough, coughing up blood, swelling, leg pain, dizziness and sometimes loss of consciousness - all of which can lead to death.
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
The most common cause of pulmonary embolism is a deep venous thrombosis (DVT), in which a blood clot blocks a deep vein, often in the arm or leg. When someone has a history of DVT or a pulmonary embolism, there is high risk of return. Sometimes cancer treatments cause pulmonary embolisms or DVTs. Other causes include obesity, pregnancy, trauma, or being immobilized after surgery. There are many other recognized markers of risk for venous thromboembolic disease including:
- AIDS
- Antithrombin III deficiency
- Behçet disease
- Blood type A
- Burns
- Indwelling venous infusion catheters
- Chemotherapy
- Congestive heart failure (CHF)
- Drug abuse (intravenous [IV] drugs)
- Drug-induced lupus anticoagulant
- Estrogen replacements (high dose only)
- Fibrinogen abnormality
- Fractures and broken bones
- Hemolytic anemias
- Heparin-associated thrombocytopenia
- Homocysteinemia
- Homocystinuria
- Hyperlipidemias
- Immobilization
- Malignancy
- Myocardial infarction
- Obesity
- Old age
- Oral contraceptives ("the pill")
- PE in the past
- Phenothiazines
- Plasminogen abnormality
- Plasminogen activator abnormality
- Polycythemia
- Postoperative
- Pregnancy & Postpartum period
- Protein C deficiency
- Protein S deficiency
- Resistance to activated protein C
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Thrombocytosis
- Trauma
- Ulcerative colitis
- Varicose veins
- Venography
- Venous pacemakers
- Venous stasis
- Warfarin (first few days of therapy)
A patient, who presents symptoms of chest pain that is not quickly identified, should be screened for a PE. Symptoms can be similar to that of a heart attack. Some of these symptoms include sharp pain in the chest, tenderness of the chest, back pain, shoulder pain, abdominal pain, syncope, hemoptsis, shortness of breath, pain when breathing, wheezing, any new cardiac arrhythmia or any other unexplained symptom referable to the thorax. Patients with a pulmonary embolism often complain of seizure, syncope, abdominal pain, high fever, cough, adult-onset asthma or hiccoughs.
If you have a loved one who died due to the negligence of a physician, you may be entitled to a monetary recovery. Contact a Pennsylvania medical malpractice attorney who has handled many cases where a pulmonary embolism was not detected. All consultations are free and there is no fee unless a recovery is made.
