Pulmonary embolism: assessment and imaging

Abstract

It is estimated that there are approximately 17,000 new cases of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Australia per year. Pulmonary embolism (PE) accounts for about 40% of these events, and is an important preventable cause of morbidity and potentially death. Clinical symptoms of PE are non-specific and can be mild (Table 1). Primary care doctors need a robust system to exclude PE as they will most often be the first port of call for patients with PE symptoms.