Overview
V and Q Scan
Sudden dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia, or unexplained hypoxemia can signal pulmonary embolism, but the patient may not be able to receive CTPA because of pregnancy,...
Sudden dyspnea, pleuritic chest pain, tachycardia, or unexplained hypoxemia can signal pulmonary embolism, but the patient may not be able to receive CTPA because of pregnancy, renal impairment, or iodinated contrast hypersensitivity. A ventilation/perfusion scan offers a different view: it shows whether air reaches a lung region and whether blood reaches it. The RN's first question is not whether the scan is available; it is whether the patient is stable enough to leave for nuclear medicine.