Use of Endobronchial Ultrasound for Bedside Diagnosis of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in a Critically Ill Patient

[摘要] Figures Figure 1 A, B, Endobronchial ultrasound image of eccentric thrombus located in the right lower lobe pulmonary artery without (A) and with (B) power-mode Doppler showing flow around thrombus. Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in critically ill patients is common and often life threatening.^1,2 The diagnosis of acute PE is often entertained in patients in the ICU who develop unexplained hypotension or hypoxemia. Obtaining diagnostic confirmation of acute PE with a contrast-enhanced chest CT angiogram may be difficult because patients are often too unstable for transport to the CT scanner or have renal insufficiency, limiting the ability to receive IV contrast agents. The clinician is often left with the decision to empirically anticoagulate or consider advanced, potentially risky therapies such as thrombolysis or embolectomy in the absence of a diagnosis.

[学科分类] 呼吸医学