Document Detail


Assessing clinical probability of pulmonary embolism in the emergency ward: a simple score.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  11146703     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: To develop a simple standardized clinical score to stratify emergency ward patients with clinically suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) into groups with a high, intermediate, or low probability of PE to improve and simplify the diagnostic approach. METHODS: Analysis of a database of 1090 consecutive patients admitted to the emergency ward for suspected PE in whom diagnosis of PE was ruled in or out by a standard diagnostic algorithm. Logistic regression was used to predict clinical parameters associated with PE. RESULTS: A total of 296 (27%) of 1090 patients were found to have PE. The optimal estimate of clinical probability was based on 8 variables: recent surgery, previous thromboembolic event, older age, hypocapnia, hypoxemia, tachycardia, band atelectasis, or elevation of a hemidiaphragm on chest x-ray film. A probability score was calculated by adding points assigned to these variables. A cutoff score of 4 best identified patients with low probability of PE. A total of 486 patients (49%) had a low clinical probability of PE (score </=4), of which 50 (10.3%) had a proven PE. The prevalence of PE was 38% in the 437 patients with an intermediate probability (score of 5-8; n = 437) and 81% in the 63 patients with a high probability (score >/=9). CONCLUSIONS: This clinical score, based on easily available and objective variables, provides a standardized assessment of the clinical probability of PE. Applying this score to emergency ward patients suspected of having PE could allow a more effective diagnostic process.
Authors:
J Wicki; T V Perneger; A F Junod; H Bounameaux; A Perrier
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Archives of internal medicine     Volume:  161     ISSN:  0003-9926     ISO Abbreviation:  Arch. Intern. Med.     Publication Date:  2001 Jan 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2001-01-18     Completed Date:  2001-01-18     Revised Date:  2007-11-15    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0372440     Medline TA:  Arch Intern Med     Country:  UNITED STATES    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  92-7     Citation Subset:  AIM; IM    
Affiliation:
Medical Clinic 1, Department of Internal Medicine, Geneva University Hospital, 24 Rue Micheli-du-Crest, CH-1211 Geneva 14, Switzerland.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Algorithms
Databases as Topic
Decision Support Techniques*
Emergency Service, Hospital*
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Probability
Pulmonary Embolism / diagnosis*
Regression Analysis
Comments/Corrections
Comment In:
Arch Intern Med. 2001 Aug 13-27;161(15):1925-6   [PMID:  11493155 ]

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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