Diagnostic Delay in Pulmonary Thromboembolism with and without cancer

Pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE) is a common and potentially perilous disease . The symptoms of this disease are variable and non-specific which makes the accurate diagnosis of the disease too difficult. Accordingly, this study aimed at investigating the diagnostic and therapeutic delay in PTE and its association with CTA findings in 100 patients admitted to Imam Reza Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences.  The patients were evaluated retrospectively and the demographic information including age, gender, the season of symptoms onset, thromboembolism, and other risk factors (including previous thrombotic events, malignancy, thrombophilia, surgery with immobilization in the last eight weeks, pregnancy in the last six months, and post-thrombophlebitis syndrome), ultrasound and CTA results and the rate of patient delay and diagnostic delay were recorded. The age average of the patients was 18.44 to 69.64 years and 50% of them were male. Most patients (40%) had a risk factor and 32 of them had no risk factor. Most of the patients had involvement in one of the pulmonary vessels (47%). Most of the cases (60.8%) were unilateral and lobar involvement (75.9%).  The right-sided involvement was associated with diagnostic delay and overall delay and the main artery involvement was associated with lower referral delay and overall delay. Reportedly, a record of malignancy, positive results in pulmonary CTA and legs ultrasound, more pulmonary risk factors, and pulmonary involvements on the right side are associated with shorter referral delay and the initiation of diagnostic procedures.