Brief report
Prevalence and prognostic significance of right-sided cardiac mobile thrombi in acute massive pulmonary embolism

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Abstract

A right-sided cardiac mobile thrombus was detectable by early echocardiography in about 18% of our patients with massive pulmonary embolism. Early and overall in-hospital mortality rates were lower than previously reported and seemed to be related more to clinical and hemodynamic pulmonary embolism severity than to thrombus presence. Thrombolytic agents are likely to facilitate the migration of clots into the pulmonary arteries without adverse effects in many cases.

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    2020, Critical Care Clinics
    Citation Excerpt :

    In published studies, the prevalence of CIT ranges from 3% among all patients with acute PE.6 However, the prevalence of CIT is higher among patients with a more severe PE population, and may occur in as many as 18% of patients with “massive,” hemodynamically unstable, PE.7 In recent years, the incidence of CIT appears to be increasing, possibly due to the increased use of cardiac echocardiography for the prognostic assessment of confirmed PE and improvements in imaging technology.8

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Dr. Casazza's address is: via Nikolajevka 12; 20152 Milan, Italy.

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