Acute Pulmonary Embolism Masquerading as Acute Inferior Myocardial Infarction

Abstract

It is always important to maintain a high index of suspicion in the diagnosis of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Death in patients with undiagnosed PE was shown to be 4 - 6 times higher than in those with a definite diagnosis and treatment. The ECG as much as it has great utility, unfortunately lacks sensitivity and specificity, providing findings that might serve as red herrings to the unsuspecting physician by suggesting an alternative diagnosis. This report describes a woman whose EKG showed ST segment elevations suggestive of acute inferior wall myocardial infarction (MI), but eventually was found to have a sub-massive PE.