Advances in Percutaneous Management of Pulmonary Embolism.

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Systemic anticoagulation remains the recommended treatment for low-risk PE. Systemic thrombolysis is the recommended treatment for PE with hemodynamic compromise (massive/high-risk PE). A significant number of patients are not candidates for systemic thrombolysis due to the bleeding risk associated with thrombolytics. Historically, surgical pulmonary embolectomy (SPE) was recommended for massive PE with hemodynamic compromise for these patients. In the last decade, catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) has largely replaced SPE in the patient population with intermediate risk PE (submassive), defined as right heart strain (as evidenced by right ventricle enlargement on echocardiogram and/or computed tomography, usually along with elevation of troponin or B-type natriuretic peptide). Use of CDT increased in the last few years due to high incidence of PE in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 pneumonia, and the use of mechanical thrombectomy (initially reserved for those with contraindications to thrombolysis) has also grown. In this article, we discuss the value of the PE response team, our approach to management of submassive (intermediate risk) and massive (high risk) PE with systemic thrombolytics, CDT, mechanical thrombectomy, and surgical embolectomy.

Endovascular Procedure in Patient with Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm after High-Risk Early Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Purpose The aim of the study is to present the success of an endovascular procedure for ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patient with high-risk non-ST elevation myocardial infarct (NSTEMI) after early percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Case Report A 56-year-old man came to our emergency room with a history of early PCI in the previous hospital and received dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). His COVID-19 test result was unknown. This patient was then being re-examined and was diagnosed with ruptured AAA. Despite his pending COVID-19 laboratory results, we decided to perform an urgent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) in this patient, considering his DAPT consumption history. The procedure was successful and the patient's condition after EVAR showed improvements. Conclusion In patients with ruptured AAA with high-risk NSTEMI who just underwent early PCI and recently received DAPT, endovascular procedure can be considered as the treatment of choice since open surgery repair is contraindicated.