AI Insight
This nationwide Spanish study analyzed 125,305 hospital admissions for acute pulmonary embolism between 2022 and 2024, finding a median patient age of 74 years and high rates of comorbidities including COPD (61-62%) and hypertension (35-37%). Despite increasing patient complexity, as evidenced by rising ICU admissions from 11% to 13% and longer ICU stays, in-hospital mortality significantly decreased from 13.12% to 11.44% over the study period. The study demonstrates both the substantial healthcare burden of pulmonary embolism and improvements in clinical outcomes despite more complex patient presentations.
Why it matters
The declining mortality rate despite increasing patient complexity suggests improvements in pulmonary embolism management and treatment protocols in Spanish hospitals. These findings may inform healthcare resource allocation and guide clinical practice for this major cardiovascular condition affecting primarily elderly patients with multiple comorbidities.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Background: Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aims to describe the epidemiological trends, clinical complexity, and in-hospital mortality of PE admissions in Spain from 2022 to 2024. Methods: We conducted a nationwide, retrospective study using the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set for Hospitalization (MBDS-H) for adult patients admitted with acute PE. Results: We identified 125,305 hospital admissions for acute PE. The median patient age was 74 years with a slight male predominance (51-52%). A high comorbidity burden was observed: 61-62% had COPD, 35-37% hypertension, and 21-24% malignancy; ICU admissions increased from 11% to 13% (p < 0.001), with median ICU stay rising from 4 to 7 days (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality significantly decreased during 2022-2024 from 13.12% to 11.44% (p = 0.013). Mortality per 100,000 inhabitants was consistently higher in men. Conclusion: This study highlights the high healthcare burden posed by acute embolism in hospitals, demonstrating an increase in patient complexity alongside a decline in overall mortality.
Source: Mortality and Epidemiological Characteristics of Pulmonary Embolism in Spain (2022-2024)