Prolonged survival after massive pulmonary embolism in a patient with atrial septal defect and mass in the right ventricle.

Unless thrombolytic or surgical therapy is rapidly available, massive pulmonary embolism in both pulmonary arteries invariably results in instantaneous death. A patient is presented with congenital atrial septal defect and right ventricular thrombus who developed extensive bilateral pulmonary embolism with an apparently prolonged survival. The ante- and postmortem findings represent the unusual and interesting aspects of this particular case.