The effect of fibrinolytic therapy on 30-day outcome in patients with intermediate risk pulmonary embolism - propensity score-adjusted analysis

Abstract

Introduction/Objective. Patients with submassive (intermediate risk) pulmonary embolism (PE) represent a very heterogeneous group, whose therapeutic strategy still questions whether some groups of patients would have net clinical benefit from fibrinolytic therapy (FT). Methods. From the institutional pulmonary embolism registry, 116 patients with submassive PE were identified, and the relation of their outcome to FT was analyzed using the propensity score (PS) adjustment. The primary endpoint was the composite of death, in-hospital cardiopulmonary deterioration, or recurrence of PE. Safety outcomes were updated TIMI non-CABG related major and minor bleeding. Results. According to Cox regression analysis, the incidence of composite endpoint was significantly lower in patients treated with FT compared to anticoagulant therapy (AT) only (PS adjusted HR 0.22; 95% CI 0.05–0.89; p = 0.039). But, when patients were stratified into four PS quartiles, only patients in the highest PS quartile that received fibrinolysis, had significantly lower composite event rate than patients treated with AT (HR 0.20; 95% CI 0.01–0.56; p = 0.016). The overall mortality of the study group was 5.2% and there was no significant difference between the treatment groups. Total bleeding was significantly more frequent in FT patients (HR 3.07; 95% CI 1.02–13.29; p = 0.047), but not the major one. Conclusion. The use of FT was associated with a better outcome compared to AT in patients with submassive PE, but the benefit was mainly driven from those with highest values of PS, i.e. with the highest baseline risk. The rate of major bleeding was not significantly increased by FT.

Keywords

• pulmonary embolism
• intermediate risk
• fibrinolytic therapy
• propensity score