Abstract
PULMONARY embolism is a potentially fatal disorder for which anticoagulation therapy improves the outcome. Untreated, clinically apparent pulmonary embolism has been associated with a 30 percent hospital mortality rate, whereas the mortality rate for treated patients has been reported to be in the range of 8 percent.
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Reported rates of recurrence for correctly treated pulmonary embolism have ranged from 2 percent to 50 percent.
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These data are derived from small trials, small series, or autopsy reports, most of which were collected over a decade ago.
Interest in the natural history of pulmonary embolism has been rekindled by several recent developments. . . .