Post-acute pre-discharge echocardiography in the long-term prognostic assessment of pulmonary thrombembolism

Sci Rep. 2021 Jan 28;11(1):2450. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-82038-1.

Abstract

The aim of our study was to asses the long-term prognostic impact of post-acute, pre-discharge echocardiographic assessment of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in patients with low- and intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). Consecutive patients with acute PE underwent post-acute, pre-discharge echocardiographic assessment of RV dysfunction (defined by: RV dilation, tricuspid anulus peak systolic excursion, or tricuspid regurgitation systolic velocity). A Cox multivariate survival mode was constructed to determine the prognostic impact of post-acute, pred-discharge RV dysfunction on all-cause mortality. 615 patients were included: 330 (54%) women, mean age 64 ± 18 years, 265 (43.1%) with post-acute, predischarge RV dysfunction. During follow-up (median 1068 days), 88 (14.3%) patients died. On Cox multivariate analyis, pre-discharge post-acute tricuspid regurgitation systolic velocity emerged as the only independent echocardiographic predictor of mortality (HR 1.73 for every 1 m/s increase; 95% confidence interval 1.033-2.897; p = 0.037). RV dysfunction persists in almost one half of PE patients in the post-acute phase on pre-discharge echocardiography; however, only tricuspid regurgitation systolic velocity independently predicts long-term prognosis.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Anticoagulants / pharmacology
  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use
  • Echocardiography*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Patient Discharge*
  • Prognosis
  • Proportional Hazards Models
  • Pulmonary Embolism / diagnosis*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / diagnostic imaging*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / drug therapy
  • Pulmonary Embolism / mortality
  • Survival Analysis
  • Time Factors

Substances

  • Anticoagulants