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The association between embolic clot burden and outcomes in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is poorly understood. In a prospective, multicenter European study, researchers used multidetector computed tomography angiography to assess embolic burden and location and degree of obstruction in 579 patients (mean age, 69) with acute PE.
Embolic location was central (saddle or at least one main pulmonary artery) in 60% of patients, lobar in 25%, and distal (segmental or subsegmental arteries) in 15%. Sixty patients (10%) died or had clinical deterioration within 30 days. Overall, location of emboli was not associated with all-cause death or clinical deterioration (hazard ratio, 2.42 for central emboli, 2.15 for lobar, and 0.41 for dista…