A 27-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with sudden onset pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath 2 weeks after a long-haul fl...

Question

A 27-year-old woman is brought to the emergency department with sudden onset pleuritic chest pain and shortness of breath 2 weeks after a long-haul flight. She is tachycardic and mildly hypoxic but haemodynamically stable. Clinical probability of pulmonary embolism is assessed as ‘likely’. According to NICE CKS, what is the most appropriate immediate investigation?

Accepted Answer

Emergency CT pulmonary angiogram

Answer

D-dimer test only

Answer

V/Q scan as an outpatient

Answer

Chest X-ray alone

Answer

No investigation; start prophylactic LMWH only

uk-plab-1 MCQ (SBA): Pulmonary embolism diagnosis