Potential risk factors for recurrent pulmonary embolism in hospitalized patients

Pulmonary embolism (PE) recurrence is the primary factor affecting the prognoses of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the major challenge physicians face in these patients is the possible risk of PE recurrence after treatment. Given that renal impairment is a significant predictor of mortality in cardiovascular diseases, this study aimed to examine the relationship between renal dysfunction and PE recurrence.

This study was retrospective analysis of the Medical Data Science Academy of Chongqing Medical University database. Patients primarily diagnosed with PE from January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2019 were included in the study. The patients were divided into two groups: the PE group and the recurrent PE group. They were screened based on the International Coding of Diseases (ICD) system and verified using computed tomography pulmonary angiography. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression (MLR) analysis were used for predicting PE recurrence.

Of the 365 PE patients included in the study, 55 (15.1%) were recurrent patients. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was found to be closely associated with PE recurrence. MLR analysis yielded an odds ratio (OR) of 4.061 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.471-11.209, P=0.007] for recurrent PE.

Renal dysfunction increases the risk of PE recurrence. Thus, clinicians should pay more attention to patients with PE and impaired renal function.