Pulmonary embolectomy: should it be offered earlier rather than later?

Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are associated with approximately 250,000 hospitalizations each year. Nearly seventy percent of patients who die of a pulmonary embolism do so within the first hour after onset of symptoms, so prompt and appropriate treatment is needed. Pulmonary embolectomy is a viable alternative for massive and submassive pulmonary embolism. We report 3 cases of successful pulmonary embolectomy.