DECODING SYNCOPE : RECOGNIZING PULMONARY THROMBOEMBOLISM SYMPTOMS

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism is an acute emergency that can have fatal consequences, can present initially with 
a common symptom like syncope, has proven to be a difficult correlation to make a diagnosis as acute 
pulmonary embolism due to variety of symptoms and signs of presentation. Indian data suggest overall 
incidence of pulmonary thromboembolism in adults being 15.9% and as a cause for mortality is 
80%.[1]In this case we have a 55 year old man with a history of long travel everyday presenting with 
syncope and dyspnea that was eventually diagnosed as acute pulmonary thromboembolism. It is a 
uncommon cause of a common condition which when missed could have led to a fatal outcome.