Clinical Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Acute Pulmonary Embolism in Thailand: 6-Year Retrospective Study

Abstract

Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (APE) is a fatal disease with varying clinical characteristics and imaging. The aim of this study was to define the clinical characteristics, risk factors, and outcomes in patients with APE at a university hospital in Thailand. Methods: Patients diagnosed with APE and admitted to our institute between January 1, 2017 and December 31, 2022 were retrospectively enrolled. The clinical characteristics, investigations, and outcomes were recorded. Results: Over the 6-year study period, 369 patients were diagnosed with APE. The mean age was 65 years; 64.2% were female. The most common risk factor for APE was malignancy (46.1%). In-hospital mortality rate was 23.6%. The computed tomography pulmonary artery revealed the most proximal clots largely in segmental pulmonary artery (39.0%), followed by main pulmonary artery (36.3%). This distribution was consistent between survivors and non-survivors. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that APE mortality was associated with active malignancy, higher serum creatinine, lower body mass index (BMI), and tachycardia with adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval [CI]) of 3.70 (1.59 to 8.58), 3.54 (1.35 to 9.25), 2.91 (1.26 to 6.75), and 2.54 (1.14 to 5.64), respectively. The prediction model was constructed with area under the curve of 0.77 (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.84). Conclusion: The overall mortality rate among APE patients was 23.6%, with APE-related death accounting for 5.1%. APE mortality was associated with active malignancy, higher serum creatinine, lower BMI, and tachycardia.