Pulmonary embolism manifesting as acute disturbances of behavior in patients with spinal cord injury

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism (PE) presented with short lived behavioral disturbances (BD) in four out of 13 consecutive patients with a proven PE. Three patients died of PE with evidence of recurrent thromboembolic disease at autopsy and one survived with PE (demonstrable by lung scanning). It is concluded that an acute behavioral disturbance in the acute spinal cord injury (SCI) patient can indicate PE, and the recognition of this possibility should lead to prompt investigation for pulmonary embolism. © 1994 International Medical Society of Paraplegia.