Description of patients who died of pulmonary thromboembolism at the surgical services of “Aleida Fernández Chardiet” Hospital

Abstract

Background: pulmonary thromboembolism is a frequent condition found in the autopsies of hospitalized patients. Dealing with the factors associated to this disease may contribute to reduce the morality causes.Objective: to describe the patients who died of pulmonary thromboembolism at the surgical services of the “Aleida Fernández Chardiet” Hospital from January 2011 to December 2016.Methods: a longitudinal observational and retrospective descriptive study was carried out. The research describes the deaths due to pulmonary thromboembolism, at the surgical services of the aforementioned hospital and during the period herein declared. The universe was made up of all the deceased patients due to this cause, 31 in total. The sample included 14 patients, older than 18 years of age, who were attended to in any of the surgical services of the hospital, with complete medical histories and with a necropsy diagnosis of pulmonary thromboembolism.Results: as associated risk factors previous major surgery, cancer, bed rest, aging, endovenous catheterization and smoking habit prevailed. The prevailing symptoms of pulmonary thromboembolism were dyspnea, tachycardia, cough and sweating. The intervention was supported by the digestive system, the orotracheal general anesthetic, clean surgery, trans-operative time between one and two hours, intervention time and pulmonary thromboembolism longer than 72 hours.Conclusions: the research described the deaths due to pulmonary thromboembolism at the surgical services of the studied hospital.

Keywords

• pulmonary embolism
• general surgery
• risk factors