Abstract: Objective To explore the related risk facts of pulmonary thromboembolism （PTE） and analyze the relation between PTE and the trauma or medical behavior by investigating the cases of PTE. Methods Thirty-three cases were selected from Institute of Forensic Science （IFS） from 2000 to 2014. Results In 33 cases, 16 decedents were male, 17 decedents were female; different degrees of dyspnea, chest tightness and syncope symptoms were the clinical manifestation of the deceased; the thrombus was mainly distributed in the left and right pulmonary arteries. The main source of embolism was the deep vein of lower limb and the left probability was higher. Trauma, limited position, operation and cardiovascular disease showed high-risk factors of PTE; D-Dimer test, hemolytic test and computer tomography pulmonary angiography were the diagnostic tools for PTE. In some cases, trauma and medical malpractice could be involved in the cause of death. Conclusion Non-typical clinical symptoms present in the most cases caused by PTE, and these cases always show many high-risk factors. The relation between PTE and injury or medical behavior should be considered carefully in the forensic pathological practice.

Key words: forensic pathology, pulmonary artery, thromboembolism, cases analysis