Researchers seek new tools to improve the prognosis of pulmonary thromboembolism.

-pulmonary thromboembolism is one of the major medical emergencies

-the mortality of the pet without tratamientoes of 30% approximately, and is reduced to 2-8% with treatment

-the combination of the use of Troponin T of high sensitivity and scale forecast simplified PESI facilitates the stratification of patients with pet and its treatment

Spain, January 2012.- the Spanish society of Pneumology and thoracic surgery (SEPAR), Neumomadrid and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III have participated in an international study to validate the effectiveness of new prognostic tools for the pulmonary thromboembolism, with the aim of employing treatment tailored to the characteristics of the patient. The study has validated the usefulness of a biological marker, the protein troponin T of high sensitivity, and the prognostic scale simplified PESI, which stratifies the risk of patients with 6 parameters: age, a history of cancer, history of cardiopulmonary disease, heart rate, systolic blood pressure and saturation of oxygen in arterial blood. By gravity involving pulmonary thromboembolism is essential for practitioners to have a tool to guide us in a fast and secure way on the level of risk of the patient ” explains Dr. David Jimenez, one of the signatories of this study.

Pulmonary thromboembolism (TEP) is a blockage in a lung artery, caused by a thrombus or clot normally originates in the lower extremities. This obstruction makes oxygen doesn’t enough to the lungs, causing serious consequences in the body which can be life-threatening. Pet mortality without treatment is 30%, but it boils down to 2-8% with proper treatment. The diagnosis is difficult because there is not a typical clinical picture to identify the patient. The outcome and follow-up of patients is not simple.

Diagnosed patients of pulmonary thromboembolism in 12 hospitals belonging to Germany, Poland and Spain have been involved in the study published in the journal Circulation of the American Heart Association. The results show that the sensitivity and negative predictive value of Troponin T of high sensitivity (hsTnT), with a 14 pg/mL cut-off point, were similar to the scale PESIs (with a 1-point cut-off point) and high. In addition, the hsTnT, scale PESIs and renal failure were independent of early death or complications in the cohort predictors. In an outstanding manner, the authors highlight that there was no adverse events in the 24.1% of identified low risk patients by a combination of the hsTnT and the PESIs scale.

Based on these data, the authors conclude the troponin T of high sensitivity can be a reliable alternative to predict patients with pet, especially when it is not possible to calculate all variables PESIs scale clinics. Thus simplifying processes and costs but also ” explains Dr. David Jiménez the study shows that the combination of both tools, hsTnT and the simplified PESI scale, identify low-risk patients more accurately than each of them separately ”. Confirmation of these findings offer the possibility to treat a significant percentage of patients with pulmonary thromboembolism at home, with the resultant saving of resources health.