The results of the present study confirm that pulmonary embolism (PE) is rarely identified in patients presenting to the ED with syncope. Although PE should be considered as a differential diagnosis in every patient, not all patients warrant an evaluation for it. Otherwise, evaluation could lead to false-positive results and overtreatment, thereby increasing adverse events and health care costs. A total of 1 671 944 unselected adults who presented to the ED for syncope were included. The prevalence of PE, according to administrative data, ranged from 0.06% (95% CI, 0.05%-0.06%) to 0.55% (95% CI, 0.50%-0.61%) for all patients and from 0.15% (95% CI, 0.14%-0.16%) to 2.10% (95% CI, 1.84%-2.39%) for hospitalized patients.

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