Background: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening condition frequently encountered in the emergency department (ED). Early detection is necessary to confirm the diagnosis and to initiate treatment. This study aims to use routinely monitored vital signs in the ED to determine the association between abnormal vital signs and PE.
Methodology: A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 135 patients in the ED of tertiary hospitals, Saudi Arabia. We retrieved patientsÂ’ data with suspected PE over 6 years.
Results: A total of 135 patients were included; out of them, 86% had a confirmed diagnosis of PE, and death occurred in 19.4%. Age and fever were the only significant associations with PE (p = 0.011 and p = 0.001, respectively). While serum troponin and D-dimer tests were not significantly correlated with PE, increased leukocytic count was associated with PE (p = 0.009). Univariate analysis showed a significantly increased likelihood (odds ratios above 1) of PE with age, female gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, previous deep vein thrombosis (DVT)/PE, heart rate (HR) over 100 beats/minute, respiratory rate (RR) above 20/minute, and oxygen saturation below 90%. Multivariate analysis revealed that only HR over 100 beats/minute and RR above 20/minute were significantly associated with PE.
Conclusion: HR and RR on admission were found to be promising predictors of PE. Age and fever were significantly correlated to PE. However, physicians in the ED can use them as indicators for efficient triage of suspected PE patients.
Key words: Association, pulmonary embolism, abnormality, vital signs, Central Hospital, Saudi Arabia
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