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PULMONOLOGY
A CASE STUDY
PE in puerperium
period of HIV patient
Pulmonary
embolism is a
life-threatening
condition
associated with
high mortality
when right
ventricular
dysfunction
is present,
anticoagulation and
cardiorespiratory
supports are the
cornerstone of
treatment.
A
lexei Ortiz Milan et al, from the
Faculty of Medicine at the University
of Botswana, recently released a case
study, highlighting the management of:
Acute Pulmonary Embolism during Puerperium in
an HIV Positive Patient.
Acute Pulmonary Embolism (PE) is a life-
threatening condition which results from occlusion
of the pulmonary circulation. The most common
situation is when a clot travels from the venous
system or right side of the heart, diverting the
pulmonary blood flow to the left side of the heart
without oxygenation. This creates an intrapulmonary
shunt which is the cause of hypoxemia.
Acute PE is the most serious clinical
presentation of venous thromboembolism.
In a study carried out in the United States
between 1995 and 2005, the in-hospital fatality rate
of patients with primary or secondary diagnosis
of acute PE fell from 12.3- 8.2%, and the length of
hospital stay also decreased from 9.4 to 8.6 days.
Another study showed sign