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Objective: AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy (ART) has been used as a catheter-based treatment for acute pulmonary embolism (PE). In this study, based on our 7-year experience with ART in patients with PE, we evaluated the efficacy and safety outcomes of ART. Methods: Our study is based on retrospective evaluation of 56 patients with high-and intermediate-high-risk PE, with an average age of 62 years [interquartile range (IQR) 50-73 years] who underwent ART. Results: High and intermediate-high risks were noted in 21.4% and 78.6% of the patients, respectively. The ART duration was 304 (IQR: 246-468) seconds. Measures of obstruction, right to left ventricle diameter ratio, right to left atrial diameter ratio, and pulmonary arterial pressures were improved (p<0.001 for all). During the hospital stay, acute renal failure, major and minor bleeding, and mortality rates were 37.5%, 7.1%, 12.5%, and 8.9%, respectively. Aging related to post-procedural nephropathy while high-risk status was associated with in-hospital mortality (p=0.006) and long-term mortality. Conclusion: ART resulted in significant and clinically relevant improvements in the pulmonary arterial thrombotic burden, right ventricle strain, and hemodynamics in patients with PE at high and intermediate-high risk. Aging increased the risk of post-procedural nephropathy, whereas baseline high-risk status predicted in-hospital and long-term mortality.

Different Doppler echocardiography (DE) models have been proposed for estimation of mean pulmonary arterial pressures (PAMP) from tricuspid regurgitation (TR) jet velocity. We aimed to compare four TR-derived DE models in predicting the PAMP measured by right heart catheterization (RHC) in different groups of precapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). A total of 287 patients with hemodynamically pre-capillary PH were enrolled (mean age = 51 ± 17.4 years, 59.9% female). All patients underwent DE before RHC (< 3 h) and four formulae (F) were used for TR-derived PAMP estimation (PAMP-DE). These were as follows: F1 = Chemla (0.61 × systolic pulmonary artery pressure [PASP] + 2); F2 = Friedberg (0.69 × PASP − 0.22), F3 = Aduen (0.70 × PASP); and F4 = Bech-Hanssen (0.65 × PASP − 1.2). The PASP and PAMP (mmHg) measured by RHC were 89.1 ± 30.4 and 55.8 ± 20.8, respectively. In the overall PH group, DE estimates for PASP (r = 0.59, P = 0.001) and PAMP (r = 0.56, P = 0.001 for all) showed significant correlations with corresponding RHC measures. Concordance was noted between Chemla and Bech-Hanssen, and Aduen and Bech-Hanssen. The Bland–Altman plot showed that Chemla and Bech-Hanssen overestimated and Friedberg and Aduen underestimated PAMP-RHC measures. Paired-t test showed significant systematic biases for Aduen and Bech-Hanssen while Passing-Bablok non-parametric analysis revealed significant systematic biases all four PAMP-DE estimates. There was poor agreement between PAMP-RHC measures and PAMP-DE deciles (Kappa values were 0.112, 0.097, 0.095, and 0.121, respectively). This study showed a poor agreement between PAMP-DE estimates by four TR-derived formulae and PAMP-RHC in patients with PH, regardless of the etiology. However, these results can not be fully extrapolated to a normal population and did not address the reliability of DE estimates for PH screening procedures.

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Background: There is limited data on moderate-dose with slow-infusion thrombolytic regimen by ultrasound-asssisted-thrombolysis (USAT) in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Aim: In this study, our eight-year experience on USAT with moderate-dose, slow-infusion tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) regimen in patients with PE at intermediate-high- and high-risk was presented, and short-, and long-term effectiveness and safety outcomes were evaluated. Methods: Our study is based on the retrospective evaluation of 225 patients with PE having multiple comorbidities who underwent USAT. Results: High- and intermediate-high-risk were noted in 14.7% and in 85.3% of patients, respectively. Mean t-PA dosage was 35.4±13.3 mg, and the infusion duration was 26.6±7.7 h. Measures of pulmonary artery (PA) obstruction and right ventricle (RV) dysfunction were improved within days (p<0.0001 for all). During the hospital stay, major and minor bleeding and mortality rates were 6.2%, 12.4%, and 6.2%, respectively. Bleeding and unresolved PE accounted for 50% and 42.8% of in-hospital mortality, respectively. Age, rate, and duration of t-PA were not associated with in-hospital major bleeding and mortality. Oxygen saturation exceeded 90% in 91.2% of patients at discharge. During follow-up of median 962 (610-1894) days, high-risk status related to 30-day mortality, whereas age >65 years was associated with long-term mortality. Conclusions: Our real-life experience with USAT with moderate-dose, slow-infusion t-PA regimen in patients with PE at high-and intermediate-high risk demonstrated clinically relevant improvements in PA obstructive burden and RV dysfunction. Age, rate or infusion duration of t-PA was not related to major bleeding or mortality risk, whereas unresolved obstruction remained as a lethal issue.

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