Treatment of massive unilateral pulmonary embolism by differential lung ventilation.

A patient with massive unilateral pulmonary embolism was treated with thrombolytic therapy and differential lung ventilation and selective PEEP. Differential lung ventilation affords besides therapy, selective monitoring of VCO2. Effects of thrombolytic therapy and SPEEP were evaluated by monitoring differential VCO2. Hypercapnia persisting in spite of conventional mechanical ventilation reduced remarkably after starting differential lung ventilation with selective PEEP on the noninjured lung.