Acute pulmonary embolism with and without hemodynamic instability (2003-2022): a Swiss nationwide epidemiologic study

Data on the epidemiologic burden of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) in Switzerland are unavailable. Knowledge gaps remain on trends in PE-related comorbidities, PE severity, and length of in-hospital stay (LOS) at a nationwide level.

To study the epidemiology of acute PE with a focus on overall trends, sex-stratified trends, and trends in patients with (vs without) hemodynamic instability.

We used nationwide, patient-level data including all patients aged 15 years or older hospitalized for PE in Switzerland from 2003 to 2022, amounting to N = 180 600. Additionally, we analyzed the Swiss Death Registry for the same period. We estimated the disease-specific age-standardized incidence rates, mortality rates, in-hospital case fatality rates, proportional mortality rates, and LOS. Analyses were stratified by sex and the presence of features of high-risk PE.

During the study period, the PE-related incidence rate increased from 0.87 (95% CI: 0.82, 0.92) per 1000 population in 2003 to 1.19 (95% CI: 1.15, 1.24) in 2022. In contrast, a decreasing trend was found for mortality rates (18.7 [95% CI: 16.8, 20.6] per 100 000 population in 2003, 13 [95% CI: 11.7,14.2] in 2022), in-hospital case fatality rate (9.8 [95% CI: 9.1, 10.5] deaths per 100 hospitalized PE patients in 2003, 7.9 [95% CI: 7.4, 8.5] in 2019, subsequent increase during COVID-19 pandemic), and LOS (11 [Q1-Q3: 7-18] days in 2003, 8 [Q1-Q3: 4-16] in 2022). No major sex differences in trends were present. Except for LOS reduction, patients with high-risk features presented with similar trends.

The incidence of acute PE in Switzerland increased over the last 20 years. Despite increasing trends in the median age at PE diagnosis, in-hospital case fatality and mortality rates decreased, particularly among patients with high-risk features, and the LOS progressively declined.