This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Treatment of massive pulmonary embolism

Authoring team

The patient should be immediately actively resuscitated, according to the degree of cardiorespiratory insufficiency:

  • administration of 100% oxygen by mask or endotracheal intubation
  • intravenous fluids may to maintain right-sided filling pressures and venous return
  • inotropic agents and correction of acidosis may be required
  • a bolus of 10,000 units of IV heparin should be given
  • in extreme circumstances external cardiac massage may be used; this may result in embolus fragmentation

The patient may require immediate embolectomy. Otherwise, if the patient survives the initial cardiorespiratory insult and is stable, thrombolysis should be considered.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.