Long-term follow-up results of unfractionated heparin infusion treatment for submassive pulmonary thromboembolism.

OBJECTIVE: Treatment options for submassive pulmonary thromboembolism cases vary depending on the patient's hemodynamic stability, comorbidities, and bleeding risk. The long-term effect of unfractionated heparin treatment on pulmonary hypertension and mortality is unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the long-term effect of unfractionated heparin treatment on pulmonary thromboembolism. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study with 22 patients who were diagnosed with submassive pulmonary thromboembolism and followed up at the outpatient clinic between 2016 and 2020 and received unfractionated heparin treatment. RESULTS: Mean pulmonary artery pressure was 53±13.6 mmHg during hospital admission and 42.7±13.4 mmHg at hospital discharge. There was a statistically significant decrease in d-dimer and pulmonary artery pressure levels before and after treatment (p=0.001). At the end of one year, pulmonary artery pressure was considered high in three patients of this study. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that unfractionated heparin is safe in the treatment of submassive pulmonary thromboembolism in terms of bleeding risk and reduces pulmonary artery pressure.