J.Jpn. Surg. Soc.. 106(3): 241-246, 2005
Feature topic
THERAPY OF ACUTE PULMONARY THROMBOEMBOLISM FROM THE PHYSICIAN'S STANDPOINT
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First Department of Internal Medicine, Mie University School of Medicine, Mie, Japan Satoshi Ota, Norikazu Yamada, Takeshi Nakano |
In the absence of contraindications, initial treatment of APTE should consist of parenteral anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin. Longterm anticoagulation therapy, usually with warfarin, should be administered according to the individual risk profile of the patient.
Thrombolytic therapy may be appropriate for patients with massive APTE with cardiac shock, syncope, etc. Similarly, thrombolysis has been reported to be effective in submassive APTE with right ventricular overload on echocardiography.
IVC filters should be reserved for APTE with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in which there are absolute contraindications to anticoagulation, recurrent thromboemboli despite therapeutic anticoagulation, and status after surgical thrombectomy. Relative indications for IVC filters that require individualized decision making include proximal DVT, especially with freefloating thrombi or in patients with limited cardiopulmonary reserve.
For patients with massive APTE with contraindications to anticoagulation or in whom anticoagulation is uneffective, transcatheter aspiration with catheterization or fragmentation using a guidewire and rotating pigtail catheter can be used.
In addition, cardiopulmonary management such as supplemental oxygen, catecholamine administration, percutaneous cardiopulmonary support, etc. may be necessary for individual patients.
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