Prevalence and prognostic significance of right-sided cardiac mobile thrombi in acute massive pulmonary embolism

A right-sided cardiac mobile thrombus was detectable by early echocardiography in about 18% of our patients with massive pulmonary embolism. Early and overall in-hospital mortality rates were lower than previously reported and seemed to be related more to clinical and hemodynamic pulmonary embolism severity than to thrombus presence. Thrombolytic agents are likely to facilitate the migration of clots into the pulmonary arteries without adverse effects in many cases.