In-Hospital versus Out-of-Hospital Pulmonary Embolism: Clinical Characteristics, Biochemical Markers and Echocardiographic Indices.

Background: A significant proportion of pulmonary embolisms (PEs) occurs in patients during hospitalisation for another reason. However, limited data regarding differences between out-of-hospital PE (OHPE) and in-hospital PE (IHPE) is available. We aimed to compare these groups regarding their clinical characteristics, biochemical markers, and echocardiographic indices.

The Potential Role of Salivary NT-proBNP in Heart Failure.

Background: Serum natriuretic peptides (NPs) have an established role in heart failure (HF) diagnosis. Saliva NT-proBNP that may be easily acquired has been studied little.

Methods: Ninety-nine subjects were enrolled; thirty-six obese or hypertensive with dyspnoea but no echocardiographic HF findings or raised NPs served as controls, thirteen chronic HF (CHF) patients and fifty patients with acute decompensated HF (ADHF) requiring hospital admission.

What is the real incidence of right ventricular affection in patients with acute pulmonary embolism?

Background: Echocardiographic markers of right ventricular dysfunction or pressure overload (RV) have been used in risk assessment of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (APE). Nevertheless, the role of echocardiography in these patients is incompletely determined. We evaluated the right ventricular function using 'non-conventional' markers of RV in patients with APE.