Table 3.
Admission clinical parameters of patients according to ESC classification (group 1: high-risk; group 2: intermediate- and low-risk).
| Group 1 | Group 2 | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| n = 41 | n = 15 | ||
| Age (years) | 72.0 (59.5–79.5) | 68.0 (62.0–75.0) | 0.493 |
| Male gender | 18 (43.9) | 8 (53.3) | 0.560 |
| APACHE II score | 18.0 (16.0–20.5) | 18.0 (13.0–21.0) | 0.243 |
| Central PE in CTPA | 35 (85.4) | 11 (73.3) | 0.431 |
| Vital signs on admission | |||
| Heart rate (beats/min) | 111.0 (100–120) | 105.0 (95.0–121.0) | 0.572 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 90.0 (85.0–100.0) | 110.0 (100.0–120.0) | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 58.0 (51.5–64.0) | 68.0 (60.0–70.0) | 0.002 |
| Breathing frequency (/min) | 22 (20–25) | 22.0 (18.0–24.0) | 0.675 |
| Shock index > 1∗ | 32 (78.0) | 6 (40.0) | 0.011 |
| PA pressure (mmHg) | 50.0 (45.0–60.0) | 45.0 (40.0–55.0) | 0.406 |
| Arterial blood gas on admission | |||
| pH | 7.43 (7.37–7.47) | 7.48 (7.46–7.51) | 0.003 |
| PaCO2 (mmHg) | 31.0 (27.2–35.9) | 29.8 (23.7–35.5) | 0.480 |
| PaO2 (mmHg) | 62.0 (48.0–81.7) | 59.9 (47.6–67.2) | 0.440 |
| HCO3 − (mEq/L) | 21.5 (18.3–23.5) | 24.1 (19.5–26.2) | 0.093 |
| O2 saturation (%) | 91.1 (84.2–97.0) | 89.3 (81.3–94.0) | 0.369 |
| Lactate (mmol/L) | 2.0 (1.1–3.3) | 1.5 (1.1–2.1) | 0.319 |
| Troponin-T (ng/mL) | 0.13 (0.05–0.73) | 0.09 (0.05–0.47) | 0.508 |
| D-dimer (ng/mL) | 7489 (2688–23476) | 11000 (1807–16753) | 0.627 |
| Platelets (×103/mcL) | 223.0 (168.5–321.5) | 264.0 (180.0–350.0) | 0.566 |
| Invasive mechanical ventilation | 15 (36.6) | 1 (6.7) | 0.043 |
| Need for vasopressor therapy∗∗ | 28 (68.3) | 0 (0.0) | <0.001 |
| Thrombolytic therapy | 29 (70.7) | 4 (26.7) | 0.005 |
| Mortality | 13 (31.7) | 2 (13.3) | 0.306 |
All values are expressed as numbers (percentages) or median (interquartile range).
∗Shock index: heart rate/systolic blood pressure.
∗∗Vasopressors used for sustaining blood pressure were either noradrenaline or dopamine.
APACHE: acute physiology and chronic health evaluation; CTPA: computer tomography pulmonary angiography; PA: pulmonary artery; PaCO2: partial pressure of carbon dioxide; PaO2: partial pressure of oxygen; PE: pulmonary embolism.