Mirza Ismail Baig: Silent but Significant – The Clinical Importance of Pulmonary Embolism
Mirza Ismail Baig, Clinical Intern and Physician Assistant at CARE Hospitals, Quality CARE India Limited, shared a post on LinkedIn:
“Silent but Significant: The Clinical Importance of Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary embolism (PE) remains one of the most potentially fatal yet frequently underrecognized cardiovascular emergencies.
The condition occurs when a thrombus, most commonly originating from the deep veins of the lower extremities, embolizes to the pulmonary circulation and obstructs blood flow.
Common risk factors include:
- Prolonged immobilization
- Recent surgery
- Malignancy
- Pregnancy and postpartum state
- Previous venous thromboembolism
- Inherited thrombophilia
Clinical presentation can vary widely, ranging from mild dyspnea to sudden hemodynamic collapse.
Key findings may include:
- Acute onset shortness of breath
- Pleuritic chest pain
- Tachycardia
- Hypoxemia
- Syncope in severe cases
One of the most important lessons in clinical medicine is that a normal chest X-ray does not exclude a life-threatening diagnosis.
Diagnostic evaluation often relies on:
- D-dimer testing
- CT Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA)
- Echocardiography in unstable patients
- Clinical prediction tools such as the Wells Score
Early anticoagulation with agents such as:
- Enoxaparin
- Unfractionated Heparin
- Apixaban
- Rivaroxaban
can significantly improve outcomes when initiated promptly.
Pulmonary embolism serves as a reminder that not every patient with acute breathlessness has a primary respiratory disease—sometimes the pathology lies within the pulmonary vasculature itself.”
Stay updated with Hemostasis Today.
-
Jul 13, 2026, 20:17Julia R. Coleman: Fantastic First Day at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 20:11Ruah Alyamany: Combination Therapy Improves Quality of Life in ITP
-
Jul 13, 2026, 19:47Brian O Mahony: Two-Year Results of BBM-H901 Gene Therapy Presented at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 19:37Sara Zalghout: Connecting With Colleagues From All Over the World at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 18:54Alfonso J. Tafur: New Evidence on Perioperative Anticoagulation in Cancer at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 18:42Jessica Garcia: Thrombin Generation in Type 3 VWD With an Inhibitor on Emicizumab
-
Jul 13, 2026, 18:19Fionnuala Ní Áinle: High-Quality Evidence for DVT Diagnosis in Pregnancy at ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 17:39Pascal Boulanger: Send a Postcard to Your Lab Staff From ISTH 2026
-
Jul 13, 2026, 17:21Stefano Navarro: Presenting Our Recently Published Article at ISTH 2026