Research progress in interventional therapy for acute intermediate-high-risk and high-risk pulmonary embolism

Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) has a high mortality rate worldwide. The cause of death from pulmonary embolism (PE) is predominantly progressive right heart failure, which is common in intermediate-high-risk and high-risk patients. The latest guidelines recommend reperfusion thrombolytic therapy for high-risk patients, but it is rarely practiced clinically, given the high rate of intracranial hemorrhage. Moreover, the optimal treatment for intermediate-risk patients remains undetermined. With the development of technology, a series of endovascular interventional treatments are widely used in patients with intermediate-high-risk or high-risk PE, such as standard catheter-directed thrombolysis (SCDT), ultrasound-assisted thrombolysis (USAT), pharmacomechanical catheter-directed thrombolysis (PM-CDT) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Current studies have shown that interventional therapy can effectively improve right heart function and reduce the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage. Future research should mainly focus on screening patients who benefit from interventional therapy, reducing mortality, and improving long-term sequelae. This article aimed to review these treatment devices and provide an update on the research progress related to interventional therapy for PE. In addition, we introduce a risk stratification assessment for APE in the updated guidelines and provide an overview of risk indicators and APE scores for judging prognosis. Finally, we discuss the long-term outcomes of APE in combination with interventional therapy.