scholarly journals Follow-up after acute Pulmonary Embolism

2018 ◽  
Vol 38 (01) ◽  
pp. 22-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefano Barco ◽  
Frederikus Klok

SummaryIn addition to among others major bleeding from anticoagulant therapy and recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), patients who survived acute pulmonary embolism (PE) face an increased risk of chronic functional limitations and decreased quality of life. In recent years, this latter complications have been better framed within the evolving definition of “post-PE syndrome” of which chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) represents the most extreme presentation. The post-PE syndrome in all its aspects is a frequent and clinically relevant long-term complication of PE but -except for CTEPH- has been largely understudied. There is great need to better define and understand the natural course of acute PE, to predict the development of the post-PE syndrome and to evaluate the potential benefits evolving treatments such as cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (6) ◽  
pp. 2000189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fredrikus A. Klok ◽  
Francis Couturaud ◽  
Marion Delcroix ◽  
Marc Humbert

Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is the most severe long-term complication of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Untreated CTEPH is fatal, but, if diagnosed in time, successful surgical (pulmonary endarterectomy), medical (pulmonary hypertension drugs) and/or interventional (balloon pulmonary angioplasty) therapies have been shown to improve clinical outcomes, especially in case of successful pulmonary endarterectomy. Early diagnosis has however been demonstrated to be challenging. Poor awareness of the disease by patients and physicians, high prevalence of the post-PE syndrome (i.e. persistent dyspnoea, functional limitations and/or decreased quality of life following an acute PE diagnosis), lack of clear guideline recommendations as well as inefficient application of diagnostic tests in clinical practice lead to a reported staggering diagnostic delay >1 year. Hence, there is a great need to improve current clinical practice and diagnose CTEPH earlier. In this review, we will focus on the clinical presentation of and risk factors for CTEPH, and provide best practices for PE follow-up programmes from expert centres, based on a clinical case.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brett J Carroll ◽  
Eric A Secemsky

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequently encountered clinical condition with both short- and long-term adverse consequences. An integrated approach to diagnosis is important to maximize early diagnosis but also to minimize the unnecessary utilization of diagnostic imaging. Comprehensive risk stratification with clinical features and assessment of right ventricular strain by diagnostic imaging and cardiac biomarker results are essential to guide initial management decisions. There is a growing treatment arsenal for acute PE, including increased anticoagulation and advanced therapeutic options such as catheter-based therapy.  Despite such advances, mortality remains high, particularly among those who present critically ill with PE, and long-term physical and psychological effects can persist in many patients for years after the initial diagnosis. This review contains 7 figures, 6 tables, and 69 references. Key Words: anticoagulation, catheter-directed therapy, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension pulmonary embolism, computed tomography, echocardiography, fibrinolysis, risk stratification, venous thromboembolism


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 ◽  
...  

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (5) ◽  
pp. 1601980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raffaele Pesavento ◽  
Lucia Filippi ◽  
Antonio Palla ◽  
Adriana Visonà ◽  
Carlo Bova ◽  
...  

The impact of residual pulmonary obstruction on the outcome of patients with pulmonary embolism is uncertain.We recruited 647 consecutive symptomatic patients with a first episode of pulmonary embolism, with or without concomitant deep venous thrombosis. They received conventional anticoagulation, were assessed for residual pulmonary obstruction through perfusion lung scanning after 6 months and then were followed up for up to 3 years. Recurrent venous thromboembolism and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension were assessed according to widely accepted criteria.Residual pulmonary obstruction was detected in 324 patients (50.1%, 95% CI 46.2–54.0%). Patients with residual pulmonary obstruction were more likely to be older and to have an unprovoked episode. After a 3-year follow-up, recurrent venous thromboembolism and/or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension developed in 34 out of the 324 patients (10.5%) with residual pulmonary obstruction and in 15 out of the 323 patients (4.6%) without residual pulmonary obstruction, leading to an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.26 (95% CI 1.23–4.16).Residual pulmonary obstruction, as detected with perfusion lung scanning at 6 months after a first episode of pulmonary embolism, is an independent predictor of recurrent venous thromboembolism and/or chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document