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Review
. 2018 Dec;24(9_suppl):48S-55S.
doi: 10.1177/1076029618812954. Epub 2018 Nov 19.

Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams: A Novel Approach for the Care of Complex Patients With Pulmonary Embolism

Mateo Porres-Aguilar  1 , Javier E Anaya-Ayala  2 , Gustavo A Heresi  3 , Belinda N Rivera-Lebron  4
Affiliations
Review

Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams: A Novel Approach for the Care of Complex Patients With Pulmonary Embolism

Mateo Porres-Aguilar et al. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2018 Dec.

Abstract

Pulmonary embolism represents the third most common cause of cardiovascular death in the United States. Reperfusion therapeutic strategies such as systemic thrombolysis, catheter directed therapies, surgical pulmonary embolectomy, and cardiopulmonary support devices are currently available for patients with high- and intermediate-high-risk pulmonary embolism. However, deciding on optimal therapy may be challenging. Pulmonary embolism response teams have been designed to facilitate multidisciplinary decision-making with the goal to improve quality of care for complex cases with pulmonary embolism. Herein, we discuss the current role and strategies on how to leverage the strengths from pulmonary embolism response teams, its possible worldwide adoption, and implementation to improve survival and change the paradigm in the care of a potentially deadly disease.

Keywords: high-risk pulmonary embolism; intermediate-high–risk pulmonary embolism; pulmonary embolism response team; reperfusion strategies.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Pulmonary embolism response team schematic flow diagram showing the dynamic, organized, and functional role of multidisciplinary expert team members during the care of patients with complex PE. CTA, computed tomography angiogram; ECG, electrocardiogram; PE, pulmonary embolism; PERT, pulmonary embolism response team.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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