Clinical factors associated with adverse outcomes in the acute period of management of submassive pulmonary embolism

The majority of patients with intermediate-to-severe submassive pulmonary embolism are hemodynamically stable upon presentation. There is a lack of evidence for the clinical relevance and safety of initially employed therapies in this population. The objective of current analysis was to determine predictors associated with adverse outcomes in submassive pulmonary embolism patients. This was a single-center, retrospective chart review identifying patient characteristics and clinical factors associated with adverse outcomes within the management of patients presenting to the emergency department for submassive pulmonary embolism. A total of 122 admissions for submassive pulmonary embolism were included. Among these patients, 41% (n = 50) of admissions had an adverse outcomes. Fluid volume was associated with adverse events in an incremental manner (odds ratio 2.1, 95% confidence interval, 1.4-3.2). These findings demonstrate a significant incidence of adverse events in patients with submassive pulmonary embolism and an incremental increase in likelihood of adverse events with each liter of fluid.