Pulmonary Embolism in 2017: Increasing Options for Increasing Incidence

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Pulmonology
• Public Health

Background:

• Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant clinical challenge across medical and surgical disciplines.
• It is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States, with an estimated 100,000 deaths annually.
• Mortality rates for acute PE range from 10-30% within 90 days, despite current treatments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the increasing incidence and burden of acute pulmonary embolism.
• To underscore the need for further investigation into novel therapies and management strategies for acute PE.

Main Methods:

• This abstract does not detail specific methods but discusses the scope of the problem based on existing data and estimates.
• It references data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other sources (2).

Main Results:

• The incidence of symptomatic acute PE has risen from 3/100 to over 6.5/100 in the last 15 years.
• There is a notable lack of comprehensive data regarding the precise incidence and morbidity associated with acute PE.
• Current treatment regimens show a 10-30% mortality rate at 90 days for patients presenting with acute PE.

Conclusions:

• Acute pulmonary embolism represents a growing public health issue with increasing incidence.
• The rising burden necessitates intensified research into new therapeutic approaches and clinical strategies for managing acute PE.