QJM : monthly journal of the Association of Physicians
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Review Meta Analysis
The value of clinical features in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism: systematic review and meta-analysis.
Clinical assessment of patients with suspected pulmonary embolus (PE) is used to estimate the probability of PE and determine what (if any) diagnostic testing is required. ⋯ Individual clinical features only slightly raise or lower the probability of PE. In isolation, they have limited diagnostic value and none can be used to rule in or rule out PE without further testing.