Fatal pulmonary embolism and stroke.

Death from pulmonary embolism (PE) in patients with ischemic stroke was determined from the United States Census Bureau's Compressed Mortality File, which is based on all death certificates throughout the United States. Among patients with ischemic stroke who died over a 19-year study period, PE was the listed cause of death in 11,101 of 2,000,963 individuals (0.55%). On the basis of an assumed sensitivity of death certificates for fatal PE of 26.7% to 37.2%, the corrected rate of fatal PE was 1.5% to 2.1%. Death rates from PE in patients with ischemic stroke decreased from 1980 to 1998. A decrease over 2 decades in the rate of deaths from PE in patients with ischemic stroke is compatible with the increasing and effective use of antithrombotic prophylaxis.