Open AccessPulmonary Embolism as a Cause of Death in Psychiatric Inpatients: a Case Series
Author(s) -
Lee Cc,
Regina Fung,
SW Pang,
TL Lo
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
east asian archives of psychiatry : official journal of the hong kong college of psychiatrists = dong ya jing shen ke xue zhi : xianggang jing shen ke yi xue yuan qi kan
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2224-7041
DOI - 10.12809/eaap1837
Subject(s) - pulmonary embolism , medicine , autopsy , antipsychotic , schizophrenia (object oriented programming) , embolism , psychiatry , cause of death , emergency medicine , disease
We report four cases of fatal pulmonary embolism confirmed by autopsy among inpatients in a Hong Kong psychiatric hospital from 2010 to 2014. None of the four patients had a medical or premorbid condition associated with vascular thromboembolism or causing prolonged immobilisation. Only two patients were taking long-term antipsychotic medication, but all were physically restrained shortly before the event.