Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension Incidence, Post-pulmonary Embolism Syndrome and Possible Role of Transcatheter Therapy in Prevention

Pulmonary embolism (PE) presents both acute and chronic complications that significantly affect patient outcomes. Acute complications include syncope or sudden death, often resulting from severe hypoxaemia or right ventricular failure; and early recurrence of the embolic event. Chronic complications, which can develop over time, are often grouped under post-embolic syndrome (PES), a condition affecting more than half of PE survivors. Symptoms of PES include persistent dyspnoea and reduced exercise tolerance. PES is associated with several serious conditions, such as chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary disease, right ventricular dysfunction, physical deconditioning, and psychological harm. Although promising catheter-directed therapies are under investigation for acute PE treatment, their effectiveness in preventing chronic complications has yet to be confirmed by large-scale randomised controlled trials.