Endovascular therapy for acute severe pulmonary embolism

Abstract

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major public health problem and accounts for 100,000-180,000 deaths per year in the United States. Current prognostic stratification separates acute PE into massive, submassive, and low-risk by the presence or absence of sustained hypotension, RV dysfunction, and myocardial necrosis. Massive, submassive and low-risk PE have mortality rates of 25-65%, 3%, and < 1%, respectively. In this review we will focus on therapies currently available to manage acute massive and submassive PE.

Keywords: Catheter-directed therapy; Catheterdirected thrombolysis; Embolectomy; Massive pulmonary embolism; Pulmonary embolism; Submassive pulmonary embolism; Thrombolysis; Venous thromboembolic disease.