Publication Date:
2006-11-16
Description:
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of preventable hospital deaths. Little is known about PE in the setting of pneumonia, as symptoms and signs of PE and pneumonia overlap, confounding diagnosis. With infrequent thromboprophylaxis, PE continues to be a major public health problem. In order to determine the incidence and characteristics of PE in patients with pneumonia, we analyzed statewide discharge data, 1997–2001, collected by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council (PHC4). The analysis included all PE discharges with ICD-9 codes 415.11 and 415.19, excluding pregnant patients and all second or later PE admissions. Infectious disease diagnoses were enumerated by ICD-9 codes, including 030–041, 042, 790.7, 996–998; pneumonia by ICD-9 codes 480–483. 485–487, and 996–998; and diagnostic procedures by revenue code 352 for computerized tomographic (CT), including spiral CT scans. Severity of illness was determined by MediQual Altas Admission Severity Categories. Of 33,036 total PE discharges (all-PE) from Pennsylvania hospital discharges 1997–2001, 5,757 (16.8%) had infection, more than half of which, 3,543 (52.3%), were due to pneumonia (pneumonia-PE). There was a marginal increase in the incidence of pneumonia-PE during this period, 615 (10.3%) in 1997 to 839 (10.5%), p〉0.05. Those with pneumonia-PE were typically Caucasian, 77.3%, p
Print ISSN:
0006-4971
Electronic ISSN:
1528-0020
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
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