Canadian journal of surgery. Journal canadien de chirurgie
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Consensus regarding the use of thrombolysis to treat acute pulmonary embolism has not yet been reached. There is good evidence that thrombolytic agents dissolve clot more rapidly than heparin. ⋯ One evolving position is that, in addition to patients presenting in circulatory collapse, for whom thrombolysis has been demonstrated to be life-saving, a subgroup of patients may be identified by echocardiography, through its ability to assess right ventricular dysfunction, who should also be considered for thrombolytic therapy. It remains to be seen whether this approach can reduce the death rate associated with pulmonary embolism.