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Current guidelines for thrombolytic therapy in patients with pulmonary embolus recommend against its use in uncomplicated pulmonary embolism (PE), but some textbooks and guidelines recommend consideration of thrombolytic therapy when PE is complicated by cardiopulmonary compromise. Previous studies have yielded inconsistent data on the association between thrombolytic therapy and mortality in patients with PE. To assess use of thrombolytic therapy in clinical practice and its association with mortality, researchers analyzed data from a Pennsylvania statewide hospital database for 15,116 patients who were discharged with primary diagnoses of PE from 2000 through 2002.
Overall, 356 patients (2.4%) were treated with thrombolytic therapy. Thirty…