Catheter-directed intervention in acute pulmonary embolism

There is a growing clinical and scientific interest in catheter-directed therapy (CDT) of acute pulmonary embolism (PE). Currently, CDT should be considered for patients with high-risk PE, in whom thrombolysis is contraindicated or has failed. Also, CDT is a treatment option for initially stable patients in whom anticoagulant treatment fails, i.e., those who experience haemodynamic deterioration despite adequately dosed anticoagulation. However several techniques for CDT are available without evidence supporting one over the other, and variation in practice with regard to periprocedural anticoagulation is considerable. The aim of this presentation is to describe the currently available CDT approaches in PE patients and to share the latest clinical consensus statement in standardising patient selection, the timing and technique of the procedure itself. This clinical consensus statement serves as a practical guide for CDT, complementary to the formal guidelines.