What Is a Pulmonary Embolism?
10. Prognosis
The prognosis of patients with pulmonary embolism depends on 2 factors: appropriate diagnosis and treatment along with the underlying disease state. It is estimated that about 10% die within the first hour while an additional 30% die from recurrent embolism.
With the use of anticoagulants, the mortality decreases to less than 5%. In undiagnosed pulmonary embolism, the mortality is 30%. A study showed that the mortality rate at 1 year was 24% due to recurrent pulmonary embolism, cancer, infection, and cardiac disease. With a massive pulmonary embolism, the mortality ranges from 30% to 50%. Studies have shown that 80% of patients who died unexpectedly in the hospital had a pulmonary embolism. Estimations show that about 95% to 96% of patients experience a nonmassive pulmonary embolism.
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