Abstract
Background. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third most frequent cause of death after ischemic heart disease and stroke. Problems concerning statistic data as for PE and the dynamics of its prevalence are insufficient in Ukraine.
Aims and objectives. To study the dynamics of PE prevalence depending on age and sex, to determine factors leading to fatal outcome between 1993 and 2002 years by the results of autopsies.
Methods. To determine the dynamics of prevalence and causes of fatal PE development we undertook a retrospective analysis of 2260 case reports of patients who died during 1993-2002 years.
Results. The results of 2260 autopsies done during the period of 1993-2002 showed that PE in the structure of pathologic diagnosis occurred in 121 cases (5.3%), mean time of development of PE symptoms was 6.3±2.3 days. 65 of them were males (53.7%) and 56 - females (46.3%) with average age 64.1±2.3 years. The dynamics of PE prevalence as a cause of death in patients during the study period tended to increase ranging from 3.3% to 12.2%; the average prevalence rate of pulmonary embolism for ten years of study being 5.3%. Oncologic diseases (53.9%), deep vein thrombosis of lower extremities (23.1%) and ischemic heart disease (19.0%) were the major etiological factors causing the development of fatal symptoms of PE in patients during the last decade.
Conclusions. Individuals suffering from deep vein thrombosis, ischemic heart disease with atrial fibrillation and those undergoing operations for oncologic diseases are at great risk of PE development. If sudden dyspnea, chest pain and decrease of blood pressure appear in the patients of risk group additional methods of examination should be used to exclude PE.
- © 2012 ERS
