Impact of COVID-19 on emergency medicine resident procedure performance.

Background: As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, patterns of patient presentations and medical education have changed, potentially resulting in fewer and different types of patient encounters. Procedural proficiency is a cornerstone of emergency medicine (EM) training, and residents must meet Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements to graduate. It is feared there may have been a pandemic-induced decrease in opportunities for residents to perform procedures. This study investigates the change in procedures performed by EM residents during the initial year of the pandemic. Methods: This study utilized a multicenter retrospective design. Across three EM residency programs, logs of 14 ACGME-required procedures performed by residents were reviewed. For each procedure, counts were compared prepandemic year (March 2019 to February 2020) to during pandemic year (March 2020 to February 2021). Procedures were further grouped into 4-month periods: March to June, July to October, and November to February. Results: A total of 113 EM resident physicians were included in this study. Procedures performed by EM residents tended to decrease during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were statistically significant decreases in number of annual cricothyrotomies (2.4 vs. 0.9, p < 0.001) and pediatric trauma resuscitations (5.7 vs. 3.9, p = 0.024). Comparing the first 4-month periods of each year, there were significant decreases in cardiac pacing (6.3 vs. 5.4, p = 0.038), chest tubes (2.2 vs. 1.0, p < 0.001), cricothyrotomies (0.6 vs. 0.1, p = 0.001), intubations (8.2 vs. 4.4, p = 0.002), and pericardiocenteses (1.7 vs. 0.2, p < 0.001). Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a decrease in the number of procedures performed per EM resident in many of the domains required by the ACGME. Although only some procedures had statically significant decreases, it remains to be seen if this will lead to decreased resident procedural competency. Further research may be required in this area to determine any such effect.

Acute and Delayed Intracranial Hemorrhage in Head-Injured Patients on Warfarin versus Direct Oral Anticoagulant Therapy.

INTRODUCTION: Direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) use for thrombosis treatment and prophylaxis is a popular alternative to warfarin. This study compares rates of traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) for patients on anticoagulant therapies and the effect of combined anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies. METHODS: A retrospective observational study of trauma patients was conducted at two level I trauma centers. Patients aged ≥18 years with preinjury use of an anticoagulant (warfarin, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or dabigatran) who sustained a blunt head injury within the past day were included. Patients were evaluated by head CT to evaluate for ICH. RESULTS: Three hundred and eighty-eight patients were included (140 on warfarin, 149 on a DOAC, and 99 on combined anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies). Seventy-nine patients (20.4%) had an acute ICH, while 16 patients (4.1%) had a delayed ICH found on routine repeat CT. Those on combination therapy were not at increased risk of acute ICH (relative risk [RR] 0.90, confidence interval [CI]: 0.56-1.44; P > 0.5) or delayed ICH (RR 2.19, CI: 0.84-5.69; P = 0.10) compared to anticoagulant use only. Those on warfarin were at increased risk of acute ICH (RR 1.75, CI: 1.10-2.78, P = 0.015), but not delayed ICH (RR 0.99, CI 0.27-3.59, P > 0.5), compared to those on DOACs. No delayed ICH patients died or required neurosurgical intervention. CONCLUSION: Patients on warfarin had a higher rate of acute ICH, but not delayed ICH, compared to those on DOACs. Given the low rate of delayed ICH with no resultant morbidity or mortality, routine observation and repeat head CT on patients with no acute ICH may not be necessary.

Mortality in Pulmonary Embolism According to Risk Category at Presentation in Emergency Department: Impact of Cardiac Arrest.

In this investigation we explore whether assessment of the risk of mortality can be refined by stratifying high-risk patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) according to whether they had cardiac arrest. We stratified high-risk patients according to whether they had shock but no cardiac arrest, or cardiac arrest diagnosed in the emergency department (ED). This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample (NEDS), 2016. Included patients were 274,227 who were admitted to the same hospital as the ED or died in the ED. This was 77% of 354,616 patients with pulmonary embolism seen in the ED in 2016. Patients were identified based on International Classification of Diseases, 10th Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM) Codes. High-risk with no cardiac arrest were 4,317 of 274,227 (1.6%) and high-risk with cardiac arrest were 1,027 of 274,227 (0.4%). Mortality of high-risk patients who did not have cardiac arrest was 1,753 of 4,317 (41%). Mortality of high-risk patients who had cardiac arrest was 754 of 1027 (74%). Mortality increased with age in high-risk patients who did not have cardiac arrest, but mortality was not age-related in high-risk patients with cardiac arrest. In conclusion, high-risk patients with PE are a heterogeneous group and stratification according to whether they had cardiac arrest refines risk assessment.

Site of Deep Venous Thrombosis and Age in the Selection of Patients in the Emergency Department for Hospitalization Versus Home Treatment.

Despite apparent advantages of home treatment of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) based upon results of randomized controlled trials, physicians maintain a conservative approach, and a large proportion of patients with DVT are hospitalized. In the present investigation we assess whether selection of patients for hospitalization for acute DVT was related to the site of the DVT or to age. This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, 2016. Patients were identified by International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification codes. Most, 87,436 of 133,414 (66%), had proximal DVT. A minority of patients with isolated distal DVT were hospitalized, 10,621 of 37,592 (28%). However, hospitalization was selected for 47,459 of 87,436 (54%) with proximal DVT; 4,867 of 7,599 (64%) with pelvic vein DVT; and 611 of 788 (78%) with DVT involving the inferior vena cava. Hospitalization for patients with distal DVT, proximal DVT, and pelvic vein DVT was age-dependent. In conclusion, both the site of acute DVT and age were factors affecting the clinical decision of emergency department physicians to select patients for hospital treatment.

Nineteen-Year Trends in Mortality of Patients Hospitalized in the United States with High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND: Several advanced treatments of high-risk patients with pulmonary embolism have been used in recent decades. We assessed the 19-year national trend in mortality of high-risk patients with pulmonary embolism to determine what impact, if any, advanced therapy might have had on mortality. METHODS: Mortality (case fatality rate) was assessed in patients with a primary (first-listed) diagnosis of high-risk pulmonary embolism who were hospitalized during the period from 1999 to 2014 and in 2016 and 2017. High-risk was defined as patients with pulmonary embolism who were in shock or suffered cardiac arrest. International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, Clinical Modification codes were used for data on the period from 1999 to 2014, and version 10 codes were used for data on the years 2016 and 2017. Trends in mortality were assessed according to treatment. RESULTS: From 1999 to 2017 (excluding 2015), 58,784 patients were hospitalized in United States with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism that was high risk. Mortality in all high-risk patients decreased from 72.7% in 1999 to 49.8% in 2017 (P < .0001). Most high-risk patients (60.3%) were treated with anticoagulants alone and did not receive an inferior vena cava filter. Mortality in these patients decreased from 79.0% in 1999 to 55.7% in 2017 (P < .0001). Thrombolytic therapy was administered to 16.1% of high-risk patients, open pulmonary embolectomy alone was used in 4.3%, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation was used in 0.4%. CONCLUSIONS: Mortality of high-risk patients with pulmonary embolism has decreased. This decrease can be attributed to improved treatment of patients with shock and with cardiac arrest, and does not reflect advances in therapy for pulmonary embolism.

In-Hospital Risks and Management of Deep Venous Thrombosis According to Location of the Thrombus.

BACKGROUND: Whether deep venous thrombosis involving the pelvic veins or inferior vena cava is associated with higher in-hospital mortality or higher prevalence of in-hospital pulmonary embolism than proximal or distal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis is not known. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2016, 2017. Patients hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis at known locations were identified by International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification codes. RESULTS: In-hospital all-cause mortality with deep venous thrombosis involving the inferior vena cava in patients treated only with anticoagulants was 2.2% versus 0.8% with pelvic vein deep venous thrombosis (p<0.0001), 0.7% with proximal deep venous thrombosis (p<0.0001) and 0.2% with distal deep venous thrombosis (p<0.0001).  Mortality with anticoagulants was similar with pelvic vein deep venous thrombosis compared with proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis, 0.8% versus 0.7% (p=0.39). Lower mortality was shown with pelvic vein deep venous thrombosis treated with thrombolytics than with anticoagulants, 0% versus 0.8% (p<0.0001). In-hospital pulmonary embolism occurred in 11% to 23%, irrespective of the site of deep venous thrombosis. CONCLUSION: Patients with deep venous thrombosis involving the inferior vena cava had higher in-hospital mortality than patients with deep venous thrombosis at other locations. Pelvic vein deep venous thrombosis did not result in higher mortality or more in-hospital pulmonary embolism than proximal lower extremity deep venous thrombosis.  The incidence of in-hospital pulmonary embolism was considerable with deep venous thrombosis at all sites.

Hospitalizations for High-Risk Pulmonary Embolism.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of pulmonary embolism has been increasing. It has been suggested that this may reflect overdiagnosis due to widespread use of computed tomographic pulmonary angiography. The purpose of the present investigation is to further evaluate whether the increasing incidence of pulmonary embolism represents overdiagnosis. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample 1999-2014. International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used. The population of the United States according to year was determined from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: The incidence of pulmonary embolism increased from 65/100,000 population in 1999 to 137/100,000 population in 2014 (P < .0001). High-risk pulmonary embolism increased from 2.2/100,000 population to 9.9/100,000 population (P < .0001). The incidence of primary pulmonary embolism increased from 40/100,000 population in 1999 to 73/100,000 population in 2014 (P < .0001). High-risk pulmonary embolism in patients with a primary diagnosis of pulmonary embolism increased from 0.8/100,000 population in 1999 to 2.3/100,000 population in 2014 (P < .0001). Among patients with pulmonary embolism, the incidence of high-risk pulmonary embolism increased from 1999-2014 (P = .0025). In-hospital all-cause mortality in high-risk patients was 102,402 of 195,909 (52.2%). CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of high-risk pulmonary embolism has increased concordantly with the increasing incidence of all pulmonary embolism. Increasing proportions of patients with potentially lethal pulmonary embolism are being diagnosed.

Effects of Thrombolytic Therapy in Low-Risk Patients With Pulmonary Embolism.

We performed this investigation to determine the effects on mortality of thrombolytic therapy in low-risk patients with pulmonary embolism (PE). This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2016 and 2017. Patients with a primary (first-listed) diagnosis of acute PE who were not in shock and not on a ventilator who did not have acute cor pulmonale were defined as low-risk. Patients were identified by International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification Codes. Mortality was assessed according to treatment with catheter-directed thrombolysis, intravenous thrombolytic therapy, or anticoagulants alone. Mortality with inferior vena cava (IVC) filters was also assessed. Mortality was lowest in low-risk patients treated with anticoagulants alone, 6,765 of 331,430 (2.0%). Mortality was somewhat higher with catheter-directed thrombolysis, 195 of 6915 (2.8%; p <0.0001), and highest with intravenous thrombolysis 510 of 5,200 (9.8%; p <0.0001). Matched patients showed similar results. IVC filters did not reduce mortality in patients treated with anticoagulants alone. Mortality was only 0.5% higher in patients treated with anticoagulants who had saddle PE than in patients with nonsaddle PE, 450 of 17,935 (2.5%) versus 6,315 of 313,495 (2.0%; p <0.0001). However, a larger proportion of low-risk patients with saddle PE received catheter-directed thrombolysis than patients who had nonsaddle PE, 2,330 of 21,760 (11%) versus 4,585 of 321,785 (1.4%; p <0.0001). Similarly, a larger proportion of patients with saddle PE received intravenous thrombolytic therapy than patients with nonsaddle PE, 1,495 of 21,760 (6.9%) versus 3,705 of 321,785 (1.2%; p <0.0001). In conclusion, low-risk patients with PE did not have lower mortality with catheter-directed thrombolysis or intravenous thrombolytic therapy than with anticoagulants alone, and IVC filters did not reduce mortality with anticoagulants alone.

Antiplatelet therapy is associated with a high rate of intracranial hemorrhage in patients with head injuries.

BACKGROUND: Antiplatelet agents are increasingly used in cardiovascular treatment. Limited research has been performed into risks of acute and delayed traumatic intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in these patients who sustain head injuries. Our goal was to assess the overall odds and identify factors associated with ICH in patients on antiplatelet therapy. METHODS: A retrospective observational study was conducted at two level I trauma centers. Adult patients with head injuries on antiplatelet agents were enrolled from the hospitals' trauma registries. Acute ICH was diagnosed by head CT. Observation and repeat CT to evaluate for delayed ICH was performed at clinicians' discretion. Patients were stratified by antiplatelet type and analyzed by ICH outcome. RESULTS: Of 327 patients on antiplatelets who presented with blunt head trauma, 133 (40.7%) had acute ICH. Three (0.9%) had delayed ICH on repeat CT, were asymptomatic and did not require neurosurgical intervention. One with delayed ICH was on clopidogrel and two were on both clopidogrel and aspirin. Patients with delayed ICH compared with no ICH were older (94 vs 74 years) with higher injury severity scores (15.7 vs 4.4) and trended towards lower platelet counts (141 vs 216). Patients on aspirin had a higher acute ICH rate compared with patients on P2Y12 inhibitors (48% vs 30%, 18% difference, 95% CI 4 to 33; OR 2.18, 95% CI 1.15 to 4.13). No other group comparison had significant differences in ICH rate. CONCLUSIONS: Patients on antiplatelet agents with head trauma have a high rate of ICH. Routine head CT is recommended. Patients infrequently developed delayed ICH. Routine repeat CT imaging does not appear to be necessary for all patients. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, prognostic.

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum.

Death notification is an important and challenging aspect of Emergency Medicine. An Emergency Medicine physician must deliver bad news, often sudden and unexpected, to patients and family members without any previous relationship. Unskilled death notification after unexpected events can lead to the development of pathologic grief and posttraumatic stress disorder. It is paramount for Emergency Medicine physicians to be trained in and practice death notification techniques. The GRIEV_ING curriculum provides a conceptual framework for death notification. The curriculum has demonstrated improvement in learners' confidence and competence when delivering bad news. Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice is a simulation-based medical education technique that uses within the scenario debriefing. This technique uses the concepts of mastery learning and deliberate practice. It allows educators to pause a scenario, provide directed feedback, and then let learners continue the simulation scenario the "right way." The purpose of this scholarly work is to describe how to apply the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice debriefing technique to the GRIEV_ING death notification curriculum to more effectively train learners in the delivery of bad news.

Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in Submassive Pulmonary Embolism and Acute Cor Pulmonale.

Treatment of submassive (intermediate-risk) pulmonary embolism (PE), defined as hemodynamically stable with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction, showed lower in-hospital all-cause mortality with intravenous thrombolytic therapy than with anticoagulants, but at an increased risk of major bleeding. The present investigation was performed to test whether catheter-directed thrombolysis reduces mortality without increasing bleeding in submassive PE. This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample. In 2016, 13,130 patients were hospitalized with PE and acute cor pulmonale, were stable, and treated with catheter-directed thrombolysis in 1,500 (11%) or anticoagulants alone in 11,630 (89%). Mortality was lower with catheter-directed thrombolysis than with anticoagulants in unmatched patients, 35 of 1,500 (2.3%) compared with 755 of 11,630 (6.5%; p <0.0001) and in matched patients, 30 of 1,260 (2.4%) compared with 440 of 6,910 (6.4%; p <0.0001). Time-dependent analysis showed catheter-directed thrombolysis reduced mortality if administered within the first 3 days. Patients with saddle PE treated with anticoagulants had lower mortality than non-saddle PE, 75 of 1,730 (4.3%) compared with 680 of 9,900 (6.9%; p < 0.0001) in unmatched patients and 45 of 1,305 (3.4%) compared with 395 of 5,605 (7.0%; p < 0.0001) in matched patients. Mortality was not lower with inferior vena cava filters either in those who received catheter-directed thrombolysis or those treated with anticoagulants. There were no fatal or nonfatal adverse events associated with catheter-directed thrombolysis. In conclusion, patients with submassive PE appear to have lower in-hospital all-cause mortality with catheter-directed thrombolysis administered within 3 days than with anticoagulants, and risks are low.

Adjunctive Therapy and Mortality in Patients With Unstable Pulmonary Embolism.

Mortality with adjunctive therapy in patients with unstable pulmonary embolism, defined as those in shock or on ventilator support, is sparsely studied and requires further investigation. This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, 2016. In-hospital all-cause mortality in unstable patients with acute pulmonary embolism was assessed according to treatment. Patients were identified by International Classification of Diseases-10-Clinical Modification Codes. Most unstable patients, 85%, received only anticoagulants. Their mortality was 3,080 of 6,635 (46%) without an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter, and mortality was much less with an IVC filter, 285 of 1,185 (24%) (p <0.0001). Mortality with catheter-directed thrombolysis alone, 70 of 235 (30%), did not differ significantly from mortality with anticoagulants plus an IVC filter, p = 0.07, although a trend favored the latter. Intravenous thrombolytic therapy without an IVC filter showed a mortality of 295 of 695 (42%) which tended to be lower than mortality with anticoagulants alone (p = 0.06). The addition of an IVC filter to intravenous thrombolytic therapy resulted in a mortality of 20 of 165 (12%), which was the lowest mortality with any combination of adjunctive treatments. Intravenous thrombolytic therapy, however, was associated with more adverse effects of therapy than catheter-directed thrombolysis or anticoagulants.

Effect on Mortality With Inferior Vena Cava Filters in Patients Undergoing Pulmonary Embolectomy.

In the absence of a randomized controlled trial, it is important to obtain as much evidence as possible by other methods on whether inferior vena cava (IVC) filters reduce mortality in patients who undergo pulmonary embolectomy. Therefore, this retrospective cohort study based data from the National Inpatient Sample 2009 to 2014 was undertaken. We assessed in-hospital all-cause mortality in stable and unstable (in shock or on ventilator support) patients with acute pulmonary embolism who underwent pulmonary embolectomy. International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes were used to identify patients. Co-morbidities were assessed by the updated Charlson co-morbidity index. A time-dependent analysis was performed to control for immortal time bias. In stable patients who underwent pulmonary embolectomy, mortality with an IVC filter was 50 of 1,212 (4.1%) compared with 202 of 755 (27%) with no IVC filter (p <0.0001). In unstable patients, mortality with an IVC filter was 108 of 598 (18%) compared with 179 of 358 (50%) with no IVC filter (p <0.0001). Mortality was reduced with IVC filters only if the filters were inserted in the first 4 or 5 days. Co-morbid conditions and immortal time bias could not explain these results. We conclude that both stable and unstable patients who underwent pulmonary embolectomy had a lower mortality with IVC filters if inserted in the first 4 or 5 days.

Ancillary Findings on CT Pulmonary Angiograms that are Negative for Pulmonary Embolism.

CONTEXT: One advantage of computed tomographic pulmonary angiograms (CTPA) is that they often show pathology in patients in whom pulmonary embolism (PE) has been excluded. In this investigation, we identified the ancillary findings on CTPAs that were negative for PE to obtain an impression of the type of findings shown. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of findings on CTPAs that were negative for PE obtained in nine emergency departments between January 2016 - February 2018. Ancillary findings were assessed by review of the radiographic reports. RESULTS: Ancillary findings were identified in N=338 (40.9%) of 825 patients with CTPAs that were negative for PE. Most ancillary findings, 254 (75.1%) of 338 were pulmonary or pleural abnormalities. Liver, gall bladder, kidney, or pancreatic abnormalities were shown in 26 (7.7%) cases, and abnormalities of the heart or great vessels were shown in 23 (6.8%) of cases. Abnormalities of the esophagus or intestine were shown in 12 (3.6%), abnormalities of the thyroid in 10 (3.0%) and abnormalities of bone or soft tissue lesions were shown in three (0.9%) cases. Inferential statistical procedures demonstrated that the occurrence of ancillary findings in patients with negative CTPAs was proportionately greater in patients who were 50 years and older (p < 0.001), although not between genders (p = 0.145). CONCLUSIONS: Ancillary findings on CTPAs that were negative for PE were frequently reported. Future studies might focus of the extent to which ancillary findings on CTPA assisted physicians in management of the patient.

Effectiveness of Inferior Vena Cava Filters in Patients With Stable and Unstable Pulmonary Embolism and Trends in Their Use.

BACKGROUND: Trends in the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) who are stratified according to whether they are stable or unstable (in shock or ventilator dependent) may show where improvements of management could be made according to the best evidence that we now have. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data, 1999-2014, from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample. RESULTS: In-hospital all-cause mortality in unstable patients who received an IVC filter was lower in each year of investigation and in all age groups. Mortality from 1999 to 2014 was 10,140 of 35,230 (28.8%) with an IVC filter compared with 54,018 of 116,642 (46.3%) without a filter (P <0.0001). In stable patients from 1999 to 2014, mortality with an IVC filter was 31,909 of 546,858 (5.8%) with an IVC filter compared with 220,443 of 3,367,783 (6.5%) without a filter (P <0.0001). In patients ages > 80 years, mortality in stable patients with an IVC filter was 7,438 of 114,457 (6.5%) with an IVC filter compared with 64,113 of 567,348 (11.3%) without an IVC filter (P <0.0001). The number of stable patients who received an IVC filter decreased from 2010 to 2014, but even in those years the largest number of IVC filters was inserted in stable patients, 194,502 of 212,611 (91.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Mortality is markedly reduced in unstable patients who receive an IVC filter. Despite this, the proportion of unstable patients who receive an IVC filter is decreasing. The largest number of IVC filters continues to be inserted in stable patients, although there is no evidence of a clinically meaningful reduced mortality with IVC filters in stable patients unless age >80 years.

Continuing Use of Inferior Vena Cava Filters Despite Data and Recommendations Against Their Use in Patients With Deep Venous Thrombosis.

The purpose of the present investigation is to determine the response to the evidence and recommendations against the use of inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). This was a retrospective cohort study based on administrative data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey 1979 to 2006 and from the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample 2007 to 2014. The number of IVC filters inserted in patients with lone DVT peaked in 2009 and then decreased from 2009 to 2014. The proportion of patients with lone DVT who received an IVC filter peaked in 2010 and then decreased from 2010 to 2014. Both the number of IVC filters inserted yearly and the proportion of patients who received an IVC filter remained higher than in 1998 when a randomized controlled trial showed no reduced mortality with permanent IVC filters in patients with DVT. In conclusion, large numbers of patients with lone DVT continue to receive IVC filters despite a randomized controlled trial that showed no reduced mortality with IVC filters in patients with DVT and despite clinical guideline recommendations against the use of IVC filters in such patients.

Inferior Vena Cava Filters in Stable Patients With Pulmonary Embolism and Heart Failure.

Mortality according to the use inferior vena cava (IVC) filters in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) and heart failure (HF) has been sparsely studied. In the present investigation, we assess whether IVC filters in stable patients with PE and HF reduce mortality. This is a retrospective cohort study of administrative data from the Premier Healthcare Database, 2009 through 2015. Patients aged ≥18 years hospitalized with a primary diagnosis of PE and a discharge diagnosis of HF were identified by International Classification of Diseases-Ninth Revision-Clinical Modification codes. Exclusions were unstable patients (in shock or on a ventilator), patients who underwent pulmonary embolectomy, and patients with co-morbidities. In-hospital all-cause mortality was 102 of 2,423 (4.2%) with an IVC filter compared with 686 of 14,063 (4.9%) without an IVC filter (p = 0.16). Only patients aged >80 years showed a lower in-hospital all-cause mortality with IVC filters, 38 of 933 (4.1%) with an IVC filter compared with 307 of 4,486 (6.8%) without an IVC filter (p = 0.0012). In conclusion, stable patients with PE and HF, if aged >80 years, showed a reduced in-hospital all-cause mortality with IVC filters.