A Pulmonary Embolism Response Team: initial experiences and future directions

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common cardiovascular condition resulting in significant morbidity and mortality. Consensus recommendations suggest risk stratification of patients into three main categories: high-risk or ‘massive’ PE, intermediate-risk or ‘submassive’ PE, and low-risk PE. Given the relative dearth of prospective, randomized clinical trials delineating optimal selection of the diverse medical, interventional, and surgical treatment approaches, clinical care requires a multidisciplinary expert approach to patients with PE.

Areas covered: The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) was the first of its kind to create a multidisciplinary, rapid response team for acute PE, integrated within a research and educational framework. The MGH PERT has treated more than 700 patients with PE, the majority of which are in the ‘massive’ or ‘submassive’ categories. The PERT Consortium™ was founded in 2015 as a collaborative network between the growing number of PERT programs internationally, with greater than 80 institutions participating within one year of establishment.

Expert commentary: Since its advent, the PERT model has expanded throughout the United States and internationally through a collaborative institutional and research network. PERT may represent a new standard for the care of patients with acute PE.

KEYWORDS:

• Pulmonary embolism
• rapid response teams
• venous thromboembolism
• critical care
• thrombolysis
• pulmonary embolism response team

Declaration of interest

C Kabrhel has received grants from Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics and Boehringer-Ingelheim; and has institutional consulting agreements with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. K Rosenfield has worked as an investigator for Abbott Vascular, Idev Technologies and Lutonix/Bard; worked as a consultant or sat on the consulting advisory board for Angiogard (Cordis), Baxter Health Care, Abbott Vascular, Becker Venture Services, Complete Conf Management, Contego Medical, LLC, HCRI and Vortex Medical; been on the medical advisory board for Icon Medical Corp and Micell Technologies; been on the board of directors for VIVA Physicians; and has ownership in Cardiomems. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.