We report the case of a 36-year-old pregnant woman who developed severe pulmonary embolism (PE) at 11 weeks of gestation. Despite prompt initiation of anticoagulation therapy, her condition deteriorated with worsening right heart dysfunction. Through meticulous management and multidisciplinary team collaboration, the pregnancy was successfully sustained, and a healthy infant was delivered safely at 37 weeks. This case highlights the clinical importance of early diagnostic imaging, careful adjustment of anticoagulation therapy, and multidisciplinary decision-making in pregnancy-associated PE. In particular, this case suggests that reduced antithrombin III activity may complicate unfractionated heparin therapy.

Objective: This study aimed to clarify the process by which older adults adapt to living alone following unexpected spousal bereavement.

Methods: A qualitative inductive study was conducted using the modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA). Participants were 10 adults aged 75 years or older who had unexpectedly lost their spouse after the age of 65 and were living alone. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using continuous comparative analysis.

Results: Twenty-two concepts and five categories were generated, with “Reorganizing Life” identified as the core category. Participants experienced “Turning Attention Toward the Deceased Spouse” and “Instability in Living Alone.” They then began “Moving Forward With Support From Others,” including family members, community members, and professionals. By adjusting their daily routines and their relationship with memories of the deceased spouse, they engaged in “Reorganizing Life” into a form that could be sustained while living alone. Participants also described “Shifting the Focus Toward One’s Own Life.”

Conclusion: Adaptation to living alone after unexpected spousal bereavement involved maintaining bonds with the deceased spouse, receiving support from others, and reorganizing a shared life into one that could be sustained while living alone.