Pulmonary Embolisms: Epidemiological, Clinical, And Therapeutic Aspects in the Cardiology Department of the Kara University Hospital

Introduction: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a ubiquitous, serious, and fatal pathology. The aim of this work was to study the epidemiological, clinical, and therapeutic aspects of PE at Kara University Hospital. Methods: This was a retrospective and descriptive study covering January 2021 to September 2023 in the cardiology department of Kara University Hospital. All records of patients hospitalized in the cardiology department for PE during the study period were included. Results: Out of 1148 hospitalized patients, 70 patients were retained, i.e. a prevalence of 6.09%. The mean age of the patients was 46.46 years ± 16.31 with extremes of 20 years and 77 years with a sex ratio M/F of 0.59. Twenty-eight patients (40%) had consulted between 48 and 72 hours. The risk factors were dominated by: obesity 28.60%, history of VTE 14.30%, long journey 14.30%, tobacco 14.30%, HIV 11.40%, post-operative care 8.60% and prolonged bed rest 8.60%. The main symptoms were: dyspnea (82.90%), cough (51.40%), chest pain (45.70%) and hemoptysis (20%). Pleuropulmonary examination was normal in 47.29% of cases. PE was initially severe in 12 patients (17.14%). On thoracic angioscan, the PE was proximal in 66.67% and in 20.83% of patients it was a bilateral embolism. Eighteen patients (25.71%) had benefited from streptokinase thrombolysis. The average hospital stay was 9.34 days±6.70, with extremes ranging from 2 to 29 days. Three patients (8.57%) died in the hospital. Conclusion: Pulmonary embolism is a serious, fatal and underestimated pathology in sub-Saharan Africa. It is predominates in women. There risk factors are numerous.