| What happens after a lung scan? Management and outcome of patients in a regional hospital. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 12452907 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains a common preventable cause of death in hospitalized patients. The purpose of this study is to examine the in-hospital management, complications of treatment and clinical outcomes of inpatients undergoing lung scintigraphy for the diagnosis of PE in a regional hospital. Two hundred consecutive inpatients with suspected PE were enrolled. The results of lung scans, stratified according to the probability of pulmonary embolism, were correlated with anticoagulation status, discharge diagnosis, haemorrhagic complications and clinical outcome at 6 months. The use of complementary imaging investigations was also determined. Other imaging was performed infrequently (Doppler ultrasound in 18% of patients, CT pulmonary angiography (CT-PA) in 0.5% and conventional pulmonary angiography in 4% of patients). Long-term anticoagulation was initiated in 66 patients (33%), including 10 with intermediate probability lung scans (IPLS) who had no further investigations. Major haemorrhage occurred in 14% of all long-term anticoagulated patients followed up. The recognized recurrence rate was very low (3%) and there was no documented mortality from PE. Most patients with suspected PE are treated on the basis of the lung scan result without further tests. However, other imaging (especially CT-PA and conventional pulmonary angiography) should be performed prior to anticoagulation in patients with IPLS in whom the diagnosis is in doubt. Standard anticoagulation for 6 months appears to be effective for PE, and the recurrence rate is low. However, it has a significant risk of major haemorrhagic complications. |
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Authors:
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Wai-Ling Chan; Richard McLean; Martin G Carolan |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Australasian radiology Volume: 46 ISSN: 0004-8461 ISO Abbreviation: Australas Radiol Publication Date: 2002 Dec |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2002-11-27 Completed Date: 2003-01-30 Revised Date: 2009-11-11 |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0047441 Medline TA: Australas Radiol Country: Australia |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 375-80 Citation Subset: IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Nuclear Medicine, Wollongong Hospital, New South Wales, Australia. wlchan@iprimus.com.au |
Export Citation:
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APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adolescent Adult Aged Aged, 80 and over Anticoagulants / adverse effects, therapeutic use Female Humans Lung / radionuclide imaging* Male Middle Aged Pulmonary Embolism / drug therapy, radionuclide imaging* Recurrence Treatment Outcome |
| Chemical | |
Reg. No./Substance:
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0/Anticoagulants |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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