Ctrl

K

Table of contents

Expand All Topics

Pulmonary embolism

Guidelines

Key sources

The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of pulmonary embolism are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine (ESICM 2025), the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP 2024,2017), the American Society of Hematology (ASH 2023,2020), the American Heart Association (AHA 2020), the Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM/AHA/ACC/ACS/ACCP/SIR 2020), the ...
Show more

Screening and diagnosis

Diagnostic criteria: as per ESC 2019 guidelines, use validated diagnostic criteria in patients with suspected PE without hemodynamic instability.
A
Create free account

Classification and risk stratification

Risk stratification: as per ESC 2019 guidelines, stratify patients with suspected or confirmed PE, based on the presence of hemodynamic instability, to identify patients at high risk of early mortality.
A
Show 2 more
Create free account

Diagnostic investigations

History and physical examination
As per AAFP 2017 guidelines:
Elicit a thorough history and perform a physical examination to diagnose or exclude life-threatening causes of pleuritic chest pain.
B
Suspect PE in all patients with pleuritic chest pain, as it is the most common life-threatening cause of this symptom. Use a validated clinical decision rule to guide the use of additional tests, including D-dimer and imaging.
B
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • D-dimer

  • Diagnostic imaging

Medical management

Setting of care: as per ASH 2020 guidelines, consider offering home treatment over hospital treatment for patients with PE with a low risk for complications.
C
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • Indications for anticoagulation

  • Choice of anticoagulation

  • Duration of anticoagulation (unprovoked PE)

  • Duration of anticoagulation (provoked PE)

  • Duration of anticoagulation (cancer-associated thrombosis)

  • Aspirin therapy post anticoagulation

  • Thrombolytic therapy

  • Fluid resuscitation

Therapeutic procedures

Indications for IVC filter placement: as per ASH 2020 guidelines, consider offering anticoagulation alone over anticoagulation plus insertion of an IVC filter in patients with PE and hemodynamic compromise.
C
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • Anticoagulation with inserted IVC filter

  • Systemic thrombolytic therapy

  • Catheter-assisted thrombectomy

Surgical interventions

Surgical thromboendarterectomy: as per ESC 2019 guidelines, perform surgical pulmonary embolectomy in patients with high-risk PE if thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed.
A
Create free account

Specific circumstances

Pregnant patients, antepartum thromboprophylaxis
As per ASH 2023 guidelines:
Consider obtaining testing for the known familial thrombophilia in females with a family history of VTE and known homozygous factor V Leiden, a combination of factor V Leiden and prothrombin G20210A, or antithrombin deficiency in the family. Consider administering antepartum thromboprophylaxis in patients with the same familial thrombophilia.
C
Consider either obtaining testing for the known familial thrombophilia or omitting testing for thrombophilia to guide antepartum prophylaxis in females with a family history of VTE and known protein C or protein S deficiency in the family.
C
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • Pregnant patients (postpartum thromboprophylaxis)

  • Pregnant patients (evaluation)

  • Pregnant patients (management of PE)

  • Patients with antiphospholipid syndrome

  • Patients with cardiac arrest

Preventative measures

Thrombophilia testing for minor provoking factors: as per ASH 2023 guidelines, avoid obtaining testing for factor V Leiden or prothrombin G20210A (low-risk thrombophilia) to guide thromboprophylaxis in patients with a family history of factor V Leiden (with or without VTE) and having a minor provoking risk factor for VTE, such as immobility or minor injury, illness, or infection.
D
Show 4 more
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • Thrombophilia testing before hormone therapy (combined oral contraceptives)

  • Thrombophilia testing before hormone therapy (hormone replacement therapy)

  • Thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients

  • Anticoagulation for secondary prevention

Follow-up and surveillance

Indications for specialist referral: as per ESC 2019 guidelines, refer symptomatic patients with mismatched perfusion defects on V/Q lung scan beyond 3 months after acute PE to a pulmonary hypertension/chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension expert center, taking into account the results of echocardiography, natriuretic peptide, and/or cardiopulmonary exercise testing.
A
Create free account

More topics in this section

  • Follow-up

  • Transition of care

  • Management of recurrent PE