(1348095) What's Old, What's New, What's Outside the Box: Managing Pulmonary Embolism in Your ICU

Pulmonary embolism (PE) presents with a variety of nonspecific symptoms. Confirmation of diagnosis involves clinical risk scores, scanning techniques, and laboratory tests. Treatment choice is guided by the risks and benefits of each strategy. New techniques and medications have been developed during the past few years. It is recommended that high-risk patients with PEs receive thrombolytic therapy or thrombectomy. Patients with less severe presentations are treated with anticoagulants, traditionally with parenteral heparins in the acute phase of treatment, transitioning to oral vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). The limitations of these agents and the introduction of non-VKA oral anticoagulants challenge this paradigm. This session will focus on the varying methodologies for prevention, management, and novel ways to remove the large pulmonary clot burden safely.