scholarly journals Patterns of Follow-Up Testing for Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension After Acute Pulmonary Embolism

Author(s):  
M.M. Cirulis ◽  
L.M. Brown ◽  
S.M. Brown ◽  
C.G.G. Elliott ◽  
M.W. Dodson
2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Barco ◽  
A Mavromanoli ◽  
F A Klok ◽  
S V Konstantinides

Abstract Background Up to one-third of patients report persisting hemodynamic abnormalities and functional limitation over long-term follow-up after acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Purpose We tested whether a validated algorithm designed to rule-out chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after acute PE can be used for identifying patients at lower risk of presenting with persisting symptoms and echocardiographic abnormalities. Methods The multicentre Follow-up of Acute Pulmonary Embolism (FOCUS) cohort study prospectively enrolled 1,100 consecutive patients diagnosed with acute symptomatic PE; two-year follow-up is ongoing. We focused on the scheduled visits for 3- and 12-month follow-up. The rule-out criteria are based on: the absence of ECG signs of right ventricular dysfunction and normal NT-proBNP/BNP values. Echocardiographic abnormalities were defined according to the presence of abnormal parameters indicating an intermediate/high probability of pulmonary hypertension as recommended by the 2015 ESC/ERS Society Guidelines on Pulmonary Hypertension. The presence of functional limitation was defined based on a World Health Organization classification grade ≥3, a Borg dyspnoea index ≥4, or a 6-minute walking distance <300 m. Results We included 323 patients (mean age 61 years, 58% men), of whom 255 have meanwhile completed a one-year follow-up. At 3- and 12-month follow-up, 194 (60%) and 155 (61%) of patients exhibited no abnormal echocardiographic findings or natriuretic peptide levels. The percentage of patients with echocardiographic abnormalities was 20.4% and 18.0%, respectively. The negative predictive value of the score for ruling out the combination of functional limitation and intermediate/high probability of pulmonary hypertension as recommended by the 2015 ESC/ERS Guidelines on Pulmonary Hypertension was 0.96 (95% CI 0.92–0.98) at 3 and 0.97 (0.92–0.99) at 12 months. The corresponding positive predictive values were 0.10 (0.06–0.17) and 0.09 (0.05–0.17), respectively. Conclusions The CTEPH rule-out criteria are capable of excluding functional limitation and evidence of (chronic) pulmonary hypertension 3 and 12 months after the diagnosis of acute PE. Acknowledgement/Funding The sponsor (University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz) has obtained grants from Bayer Vital GmbH and Bayer Pharma AG


2010 ◽  
Vol 125 (5) ◽  
pp. e202-e205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sulaiman Surie ◽  
Nadine S. Gibson ◽  
Victor E.A. Gerdes ◽  
Berto J. Bouma ◽  
Berthe L.F. van Eck – Smit ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
E Klok ◽  
G.J.A.M Boon ◽  
Y.M Ende-Verhaar ◽  
R Bavalia ◽  
M Delcroix ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The current diagnostic delay of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) after acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is unacceptably long exceeding 1 year, causing loss of quality-adjusted life years and excess mortality. Validated screening strategies to diagnose CTEPH earlier are lacking. Importantly, performing echocardiography in all PE patients for this purpose has a low diagnostic yield, is associated with overdiagnosis and is not cost-effective. Moreover, expertise in performing high-quality PH-dedicated echocardiograms may not be available outside expert centers. Aim To validate a simple screening strategy aimed at identifying CTEPH early in the course after acute PE, avoiding echocardiography if possible (Figure 1). Methods In this prospective, international, multicenter management study, consecutive PE survivors were managed according to the predefined algorithm starting three months after acute PE. All were followed for a total period of two years. The study protocol was approved by all local IRBs and all patients provided informed consent. Results 424 patients were included across three European countries (Table 1). Following the algorithm, CTEPH was considered excluded in 343 (81%) patients based on clinical pre-test probability assessment by the “CTEPH prediction score”, evaluation of symptoms and application of the “CTEPH rule-out criteria” (Figure 1); only 19% was subjected to echocardiography. Only 1 of 343 patients managed without echocardiography was diagnosed with CTEPH, 10 months after initial PE, for a failure rate of 0.29% (95% CI 0–1.6%). Overall, 13 patients were diagnosed with CTEPH (incidence 3.1%), of whom 10 within 4 months after PE diagnosis. Conclusions The algorithm accurately ruled out CTEPH and avoided echocardiography in 81% of patients. The vast majority of CTEPH cases were identified early in the course of acute PE which is a considerable improvement compared to current clinical practice with an economic use of healthcare resources. Figure 1. Study flowchart Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Foundation. Main funding source(s): This study was supported by unrestricted grants from Bayer/Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) and Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. F.A. Klok and G.J.A.M. Boon were supported by the Dutch Heart Foundation (2017T064).


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