TCT: Mechanical Thrombectomy Linked to Lower Mortality in Patients With Pulmonary Embolism

TUESDAY, Nov. 10, 2026 (HealthDay News) — For patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE), mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is associated with lower mortality risk compared with anticoagulation alone, according to a review published online Nov. 1 in JSCAI to coincide with the annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics conference, held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 3 in San Diego.

Mahmoud Ismayl, M.D., Ph.D., from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and colleagues compared the outcomes of MT versus anticoagulation alone in patients with intermediate-risk PE in a systematic review. Twelve studies (one randomized and 11 observational) with 4,268 patients were included; 44 percent of the patients received MT.

The researchers found that MT was associated with similar in-hospital mortality compared with anticoagulation alone, but was associated with significantly lower 30-day, one-year, and two-year mortality (risk ratios, 0.24, 0.34, and 0.45, respectively). Between the two strategies, the risk for major bleeding, hospital and intensive care unit length of stay, and 30-day readmission rates were similar. Compared with anticoagulation alone, the risk for chronic thromboembolic disease was significantly lower with MT (risk ratio, 0.40).

“This analysis found encouraging associations between mechanical thrombectomy and lower short- and long-term mortality in patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism,” Ismayl said in a statement. “Larger randomized trials are needed to confirm these findings and determine which patients are most likely to benefit.”

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