Indication of pulmonary embolectomy for acute pulmonary embolism]

During the past 7 years, 15 patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE) were treated at Kagawa Medical School and 10 patients were survived. Nine patients had an embolus in a right or left pulmonary trunk (group A) and 6 patients were peripheral APE (group B). In group A abnormal findings in a chest x-ray film and an electrocardiogram were observed in many patients, but in group B these findings were slight. In group A a shock was observed in 89% and cardiac arrest in 4 patients, although in group B neither shock nor death were observed. Marked hypoxia with hypocapnia was observed in 8 patients in group A and only in 2 in group B. All patients in group B were recovered by medical therapy. In group A, however, only 3 patients were recovered by medical therapy. Two patients in group A were performed pulmonary embolectomy (PER), but one of them, who had been in nonreversible shock, died. We conclude that the patient who had marked hypoxia (PO2 less than or equal to 50 mmHg) with hypocapnia (PCO2 less than or equal to 35 mmHg) early at an attack should be taken a pulmonary angiography, and when a large embolus is found out in the proximal pulmonary artery, the PER should be performed as soon as possible.