Pulmonary Embolism as a Cause of COPD Exacerbations

Exclusion Criteria

• •Contraindication to multidetector computed tomographic angiography (allergy to intravenous contrast medium, or renal failure defined as a creatinine clearance less than 30 mL/min, according to the Cockcroft-Gault formula)
• •Informed consent denied
• •Pregnancy
• •Life expectancy less than 3 months
• •Anticoagulant therapy at the time of hospital admission
• •Diagnosis of pneumothorax, or pneumonia (fever, and purulent sputum, and new infiltrate in chest X-ray)
• •Diagnosis of lower respiratory tract infection (fever \[\>37.8ºC\], increased sputum volume and/or increased sputum purulence).
• •Indication of invasive mechanical ventilation at the time of hospital admission;
• •Impossibility for follow-up.