Abstract
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a prominent cause of morbidity and mortality in surgical patients. Here, we review head and neck surgery. PE was diagnosed three days following surgery after the patient complained of dyspnea while walking. PE was successfully treated by intravenous administration of heparin. Despite prophylactic measures taken during surgery, the prognosis was poor for this patient due to numerous high-risk factors (e.g., advanced age, obesity, prolonged immobilization). Although the incidence of postoperative PE in our department during the last seven years is very low (0.04%), the frequency of postoperative PE in Japan has steadily increased in recent years. PE still is one of the most significant complications leading to morbidity and mortality following surgery. We examined the guideline on prophylaxis of perioperative DVT for Japanese patients, and concluded that otolaryngologists, head and neck surgery should be reminded of high-risk factors associated with PE and be made aware of prophylactic treatments newly aimed at reducing the frequency of PE.
