With the advent of new diagnostic techniques such as the spiral computed to
mography angiogram, the sequence of tests needed to diagnose a pulmonary em
bolus may be more efficient if the testing behavior is tailored to the pati
ent's underlying cardiopulmonary status. This may be particularly important
if the patient is elderly or has other reasons for limited cardiopulmonary
reserve. We report several cases with a new sequence of testing behavior.