Table 1.
Characteristics of patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE) according to low, intermediate-low, and intermediate-high early mortality risk.
| Variable | Early mortality risk | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Low risk (n = 20) | Intermediate-low risk (n = 77) | Intermediate-high risk (n = 29) | |
| Age, years | 55 ± 12.7 | 55.6 ± 14.8 | 67.2 ± 10.7 |
| Men, n (%) | 13 (65) | 40 (51.9) | 13 (44.8) |
| Body-mass index, kg/m2 | 28.6 ± 5.2 | 27.9 ± 4.6 | 28.5 ± 6 |
| Current smoking, n (%) | 4 (20) | 14 (18.2) | 7 (24.1) |
| Clinical characteristics, n (%) | |||
| Prior venous thromboembolism | 3 (15)* | 6 (7.8)*† | 0*# |
| Coronary heart disease | 7 (35) | 33 (42.9) | 10 (34.5) |
| Prior myocardial infarction | 1 (5) | 19 (24.7) | 5 (17.2) |
| Prior stroke | 1 (5) | 6 (7.79) | 3 (10.3) |
| Hypertension | 9 (45) | 38 (49.4) | 21 (72.4) |
| Heart failure | 0* | 17 (22)*† | 8 (27.6)*# |
| Diabetes mellitus | 6 (30) | 26 (33.8) | 10 (34.5) |
| COPD | 0* | 8 (10.4)*† | 4 (13.8)*# |
| Medications, n (%) | |||
| Beta blockers | 20 (100)* | 50 (64.9)*† | 21 (72.4)*# |
| ACEI | 12 (60) | 42 (54.5) | 20 (69) |
| ARB | 5 (25)* | 11 (14.3)* | 0*‡# |
| Calcium channel blockers | 1 (5) | 11 (14.3) | 4 (13.8) |
| Aspirin | 5 (25) | 25 (32.5) | 10 (34.5) |
| Statin | 13 (65) | 46 (59.7) | 18 (62.1) |
| Characteristics of acute PE | |||
| PE symptoms, days | 3.5 [1.5–7] | 4 [2–7] | 3 [2–7] |
| Unprovoked PE, n (%) | 10 (55) | 52 (67.5) | 19 (65.5) |
| Laboratory investigations | |||
| Fibrinogen, g/L | 3.08 [2.15–3.60] | 3.33 [2.82–3.96] | 3.22 [2.78–3.95] |
| CRP, mg/L | 2.25 [1.48–6.24]* | 3.62 [1.71–12.37]* | 10.15 [2.63–23.34]*# |
| D-dimer, ng/mL | 3,345 [2008–5983] | 2,600 [1546–5053] | 3,837 [2346–7770] |
| NT-proBNP, pg/mL | 91.5 [59–104.5]* | 444 [211–987]*† | 1,261 [384–3571]*‡# |
| PAI-1, ng/mL | 16.5 [11.4–23.3]* | 22.7 [17.4–30]* | 31 [19.8–45.8]*# |
| Citrullinated histone H3, ng/mL | 2.28 [1.87–2.71] | 2.92 [1.97–3.87] | 3.44 [1.46–4.2] |
| ETP, nM × min | 1508 [1436–1580]* | 1683 [1499–1891]*† | 1811 [1598–2395]*# |
| Fibrin clot properties | |||
| Ks, × 10-9cm2 | 7.3 [7.0–7.8]* | 6.4 [5.6–7.2]*† | 5.9 [4.8–7.0]*# |
| CLT, min | 85 [79.5–90]* | 108 [98–119]*† | 122 [106–149]*‡# |
ACEI angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, ARB angiotensin II receptor blockers, CLT clot lysis time, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, CRP C-reactive protein, ETP endogenous thrombin potential, Ks fibrin clot permeability, NT-proBNP N-terminal B-type natriuretic propeptide, PAI-1 plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1.
*p-value < 0.05 for low risk vs. intermediate-low risk vs. intermediate-high risk, respectively (post hoc: †low risk vs. intermediate-low risk, ‡intermediate-low risk vs. intermediate-high risk, and #low risk vs. intermediate-high risk).