Weak pulse
Patients with a pulmonary embolism will have an impaired heart function. Sometimes it is severe enough to cause a hemodynamic collapse, but in most cases, it is only a weak pulse as a result of the low levels of circulating oxygen. The heart sounds are attenuated in more than half of the patients, and their pulse is also feeble because their heart is pumping with less intensity.
Sometimes, there are additional cardiovascular signs and symptoms when examining the heart. There’s an abnormal sound called S3 or S4 gallop, and patients may have cardiac murmurs as well.
