Template:PE clinical presentation

Symptoms

• Dyspnea at rest or with exertion (75-80%)
• Chest pain (66%)
  • Pleuritic pain, pain that halts respiration, is only seen in 20% of patients
• Cough
• Hemoptysis
• Unilateral calf swelling
• Syncope
  • Syncope is caused by PE <5% of the time

Signs

• Tachycardia (HR>100), Tachypnea (RR>20), Hypoxemia (SpO2<95%) are seen ~50% of the time
• Hypotension (SBP<90) only seen 10% of the time, but largest predictor of mortality
• Unilateral calf tenderness or edema, suggestive of a DVT
• Other signs may include accentuated pulmonic component of second heart sound, JVD, or decreased breath sounds