Korean J Leg Med.  2001 May;25(1):50-57.

Death due to Pulmonary thromboembolism

• Kim YH
• Kang HW

Abstract

Despite advances in our understanding of venous thromboembolic disease, the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of pulmonary thromboembolism remain a clinical challenged. In western country, pulmonary thromboembolism is common : its antemortem diagnosis is not. Its frequency in routine hospital autopsies is 5%~10%. Especially, pregnancy and orthopedic surgery are widely recognized to be physiologic states with markedly elevated risk for thromboembolic complication. Deep venous thrombosis is very frequent after surgery, and its major comlpication, pulmonary thromboembolism, is the most frequent cause of postoperative death. The reduction of this cause of mortality is mainly based on its prevention rather than its therapy. All of these 40 cases were autopsied between 1997~1999 in National Institute of Scientific Investigation(NISI) and the causes of death were verified pulmonary thromboembolism. The aims of study were to investigate post-mortem verified causes of death, pulmonary thromboembolism, to cirrelate these with clinical practice, to identify the potential for prevention according to the literature and to contribute to decrease the mortality rate due to pulmonary thromboembolism.

Keyword

pulmonary thromboembolism; deep venous thrombosis; surgery; mortality; autopsy; prevention

MeSH Terms

Autopsy
Cause of Death
Diagnosis
Mortality
Orthopedics
Pregnancy
Pulmonary Embolism*
Venous Thrombosis