Clinical symptoms and relevant findings at presentation in 591 consecutive normotensive patients diagnosed with acute symptomatic PE in the emergency department
| Characteristic | Patients, n (%) |
| Demographic factors | |
| Median (25th to 75th percentile) age, years | 74 (65 to 82) |
| Age >65 years | 438 (74%) |
| Male sex | 254 (43%) |
| Comorbid illness | |
| Cancer* | 95 (16%) |
| Heart failure | 51 (8.6%) |
| Chronic lung disease | 51 (8.6%) |
| Recent surgery | 52 (8.8%) |
| History of VTE | 59 (10%) |
| Clinical findings | |
| Pulse ≥110 beats/min | 135 (23%) |
| Systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg | 192 (32%) |
| Respiratory rate ≥30 breaths/min | 52 (8.8%) |
| Temperature <36°C | 134 (23%) |
| Altered mental status | 4 (0.7%) |
| Arterial oxyhaemoglobin saturation <90% | 211 (36%) |
| Laboratory findings | |
| RVD (echocardiogram) | 120 (20%) |
| Presence of DVT (CCUS) | 228 (39%) |
| Cardiac troponin I >0.1 ng/ml | 190 (32%) |
↵* Active or under treatment in the past year.
CCUS, lower extremity complete compression ultrasound; DVT, deep vein thrombosis; PE, pulmonary embolism; RVD, right ventricular dysfunction; VTE, venous thromboembolism.