Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2020 Dec 4;2020(1):190-194.
doi: 10.1182/hematology.2020000106.

When I treat a patient with acute pulmonary embolism at home

Frederikus A Klok  1 , Menno V Huisman  1
Affiliations
Review

When I treat a patient with acute pulmonary embolism at home

Frederikus A Klok et al. Hematology Am Soc Hematol Educ Program. .

Abstract

Home treatment is feasible and safe in selected patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and is associated with a considerable reduction in health care costs. When establishing a PE outpatient pathway, 2 major decisions must be made. The first one concerns the selection of patients for home treatment. The second one involves dedicated outpatient follow-up including sufficient patient education and facilities for specialized follow-up visits. Current evidence points toward the use of either the Hestia criteria or Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index with/without assessment of the right ventricular function to select patients for home treatment, depending on local preferences. Results from ongoing trials are expected to enforce current guideline recommendations on home treatment and pave the way for more broad application of this elegant and cost-effective management option for patients with acute PE.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of interest disclosure: F.A.K. received research grants from Bayer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, MSD, Daiichi-Sankyo, Actelion, the Dutch Thrombosis Association, and the Dutch Heart Foundation. M.V.H. received research grants from ZonMW, Boehringer Ingelheim Bayer Health Care, and Pfizer-Bristol-Myers Squibb; and received consultancy and lecture fees from Pfizer-Bristol-Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bayer Health Care, and Aspen.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Outpatient pathway for acute pulmonary embolism.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Huisman MV, Barco S, Cannegieter SC, et al. . Pulmonary embolism. Nat Rev Dis Primers. 2018;4(1):18028. - PubMed
    1. Klok FA, Meyer G, Konstantinides S. Management of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: uncertainties and challenges. Eur J Haematol. 2015;95(6):489-497. - PubMed
    1. Konstantinides SV, Meyer G, Becattini C, et al. . 2019 ESC Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism developed in collaboration with the European Respiratory Society (ERS): The Task Force for the diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Eur Respir J. 2019;54(3):1901647. - PubMed
    1. Barco S, Mahmoudpour SH, Valerio L, et al. . Trends in mortality related to pulmonary embolism in the European Region, 2000-15: analysis of vital registration data from the WHO Mortality Database. Lancet Respir Med. 2020;8(3):277-287. - PubMed
    1. Aujesky D, Roy PM, Verschuren F, et al. . Outpatient versus inpatient treatment for patients with acute pulmonary embolism: an international, open-label, randomised, non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2011;378(9785):41-48. - PubMed