PULMONARY EMBOLUS, PULMONARY HYPERTENSION AND SLEEP APNOEA – A PANDORA'S BOX. (February 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Thompson, Philip J.
• Is Part Of: Pathology. Volume 47(2015)Supplement 1
• Publication Date: 2015-02
• Subjects: Pathology -- Periodicals; 616.0705
• DOI: 10.1097/01.PAT.0000461388.00048.5d
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0031-3025

Abstract

Abstract : Sudden death from a respiratory cause can often be difficult to determine and quite often the clinical story is confusing, absent or at times misleading. Three pathologies that epitomise this situation are pulmonary embolus, pulmonary hypertension and sleep apnoea. All three conditions can lead to sudden death often because of secondary cardiac arrhythmias or poor gas exchange. These three disease states will be discussed with case examples and an emphasis on how and why the diagnosis is frequently overlooked or misdiagnosed.