Impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with pulmonary embolism

Atherosclerosis is associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Associations between venous thromboembolism and atherosclerosis were recently reported. We aimed to investigate the impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and to identify significant differences among patients with PE stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis.

Patients were selected by screening the nationwide inpatients sample for PE (ICD-code I26) stratified by symptomatic atherosclerosis (composite of coronary artery disease [ICD-code I25], myocardial infarction [ICD-code I21], ischemic stroke [ICD-code I63], and/or atherosclerotic arterial diseases [ICD-code I70]). We compared PE patients with (PE + Athero) and without (PE - Athero) symptomatic atherosclerosis and analysed the impact of symptomatic atherosclerosis on adverse outcomes.

Overall, 213,995 patients with PE (54.2% females) were included in this analysis. Of these, 30,157 (14.1%) had symptomatic atherosclerosis with age-dependent incline. Deep vein thrombosis or thrombophlebitis (45.1% vs. 36.9%, P < 0.001) was more commonly observed in the PE - Athero group (Odds Ratio (OR) 0.713 [95% CI 0.695-0.731], P < 0.001). In-hospital mortality (12.1% vs. 9.6%, P < 0.001) and adverse in-hospital events (16.8% vs. 12.6%, P < 0.001) were affected by symptomatic atherosclerosis; both in-hospital mortality (OR 1.107 [95% CI 1.061-1.155], P < 0.001) and adverse in-hospital outcomes (OR 1.143 [95%CI 1.102-1.186], P < 0.001) were affected independently of age, gender, comorbidities, and reperfusion treatments.

Symptomatic atherosclerosis in patients with PE increased with age and was associated with a poorer outcome. Cardiovascular-atherosclerotic diseases might play a major role in thrombus formation in isolated PE.