Venous thromboembolism represents one of the main causes of cardiovascular death. Pulmonary embolism (PE) can vary from asymptomatic to manifesting with shock and sudden death, with a wide clinical spectrum. Patient followup is crucial, seeing as survival PE patients usually experience residual symptoms at long term, such as dyspnea or functional capacity deterioration. For decades,…
Is it safe to perform percutaneous treatment in acute pulmonary thrombosis?
Courtesy of Dr. Carlos Fava Massive and submassive pulmonary embolism (PE) has traditionally been treated with anticoagulation and catheter direct thrombolysis (CDT), but the safety and efficacy of this treatment has not been yet properly assessed. The study analyzed 137 patients presenting acute PE massive or submassive. All patients received CTD associated to heparin…
Catheter-directed thrombolysis for pulmonary embolism: a safe technique
Courtesy of Dr. Brian Nazareth Donato. The conventional treatment for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) has traditionally been anticoagulation plus systemic thrombolytics, or surgical embolectomy, reserved for high risk patients. Even though it has been shown systemic thrombolytics reduce mortality in PE patients at high or intermediate risk, its use has been limited given the…