Long Term Clinical Course of Hemodynamic Stable Pulmonary Embolism

This study aimed to review the mortality rate of pulmonary embolism (PTE) during one year follow up, incidence of hemorrhagic complications and other causes of death.

This prospective cohort study was conducted on 245 patients with confirmed diagnosis of pulmonary embolism divided in two groups of survived and died in a tertiary center hospital in Isfahan from Jan 2011 to March 2015.

In addition to the use of the patients’ records for evaluating some clinical variables, parameters and radiologic findings, interviews with patients were recorded in a check list. Patients were followed for at least one year after the occurrence of pulmonary embolism if death did not occur. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 13.

After at least one year follow-up, 145 cases (59.2%) were alive and 100 (40.8%) had died. Age older than 67 years, congestive heart failure, ،malignancy, ،trauma, anemia and the evidence of involvement of the pulmonary artery branches in CT angiography were independently associated to mortality (P<0.05). Also, the most common cause of death was cancer in 35% of the patients, while only in 3% it was PTE.