Abstract: Venous thromboembolism is a major cause of death and morbidity among hospitalized patients. In this setting, it has been estimated that pulmonary embolism (PE) causes death in over 100,000 patients each year in the United States and contributes to the death of another 100,000. 1 Dalen JE Alpert JS Natural history of pulmonary embolism. Prog Cardiovasc Dis. 1975; 17: 257-270 Abstract Full Text PDF Scopus (0) Google Scholar These estimates have recently been substantiated in a community-wide study conducted in 16 short-stay hospitals in metropolitan Worcester, Massachusetts, where the annual incidence of verified PE was 23 per 100,000 central Massachusetts residents with an inhospital case fatality rate of 12 percent. 2 Anderson FA Wheeler HB Goldberg RJ et al. A population-based perspective of the hospital incidence and case-fatality rates of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Arch Intern Med. 1991; 151: 933-938 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar Extrapolation of these data suggests that approximately 260,000 cases of clinically recognized venous thromboembolism occur each year in patients hospitalized in acute care hospitals in the United States. The disease is most often clinically silent with PE being unsuspected in 70 to 80 percent of patients diagnosed at autopsy, 3 Goldhaber SZ Hennekens CH Evans DA et al. Factors associated with correct antemortem diagnosis of major pulmonary embolism. Am J Med. 1982; 73: 822-826 Abstract Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (0) Google Scholar ,4 Rubinstein I Murray D Hoffstein V Fatal pulmonary emboli in hospitalized patients. Arch Intern Med. 1988; 148: 1425-1426 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar and because of the low rate of autopsy in the United States and the failure of the Worcester study to include nonacute care facilities such as rehabilitation hospitals and nursing homes where the incidence of PE may be higher, the actual incidence of venous thromboembolism is much greater. Such considerations led to the conclusion that fatal PE may be the most common preventable cause of hospital death. 5 Morrell MT Dunhill MS The postmortem incidence of pulmonary embolism in a hospital population. Br J Surg. 1968; 55: 347-352 Crossref PubMed Google Scholar
Publication Year: 1992
Publication Date: 1992-10-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 224
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