Aims Data on the early course and use of systemic thrombolysis in pregnant women with pulmonary embolism associated or not with haemodynamic failure are scarce. We investigated these aspects using... Show moreAims Data on the early course and use of systemic thrombolysis in pregnant women with pulmonary embolism associated or not with haemodynamic failure are scarce. We investigated these aspects using the information from the German Nationwide Inpatient Registry (years 2005-2016). Methods and results In Germany, all diagnoses referring to hospitalized patients are coded according to the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision with German Modification. We analysed data of pregnant women aged 18-50 years for whom the following diagnoses were recorded during hospitalization: (i) pulmonary embolism (I26) during pregnancy or peripartum (O09) or (ii) obstetric thromboembolism (O88.2). Haemodynamic failure at any time during the in-hospital stay was defined as need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation (OPS code 8-77) or the presence of shock (International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision with German Modification code R57). The primary study outcome was in-hospital death. A total of 8 271 327 births were registered in Germany from 2005 to 2016. During this 12 year time period, there were 1846 hospitalizations for pregnancy-associated pulmonary embolism in patients aged 18-50, corresponding to 2.2 [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.1-2.3] cases every 10 000 births and 0.2% of all hospitalizations for pulmonary embolism in Germany. The median age was 31 years, and the median length of hospitalization was 8 days. A total of 63 deaths were reported, corresponding to an overall in-hospital fatality rate of 3.4% (95% CI: 2.7-4.4) and a pulmonary embolism-related mortality rate of 0.8 (95% CI: 0.6-1.0) per 100 000 (live) births per year. Pulmonary embolism-related deaths in hospitalized pregnant women represented 14% of all maternal deaths recorded in Germany between 2005 and 2016. A total of 135 (7.3%) women had haemodynamic failure, of whom 51 (37.8%) received systemic thrombolysis and 50 (37.0%) died. Conclusions Pulmonary embolism-related fatality remains substantial in pregnant women with pulmonary embolism and represents a frequent cause of maternal mortality. The use of systemic thrombolysis was reported in one third of pregnant women with pulmonary embolism and haemodynamic failure. Better preventive and management strategies should be urgently implemented in this vulnerable patient group. Show less
In this thesis the risk factors of venous thrombosis will be discussed in the general and particularly the elderly population. The goal of this thesis is to provide insights on risk factors of... Show moreIn this thesis the risk factors of venous thrombosis will be discussed in the general and particularly the elderly population. The goal of this thesis is to provide insights on risk factors of thrombosis in the elderly population, in order to advance our basic understanding of physiological age-related changes that increase the risk of venous thrombosis and which may ultimately lead to improved personalized interventions. In this chapter firstly background information will be provided on risk factors for venous thrombosis, focussing specifically on age as a risk factor. Secondly, the role of veins and venous valves in the development of venous thrombosis will be discussed and thirdly, global assays as a potential tool to identify patients at high risk for venous thrombosis will be considered. The study populations used in this thesis will discussed, and an outline of this thesis will be provided. Show less
Pulmonary embolism is traditionally, since autopsy studies by Virchow in the mid 1800s, thought to originate from embolization of a deep-vein thrombosis, resulting in two clinical manifestations of... Show morePulmonary embolism is traditionally, since autopsy studies by Virchow in the mid 1800s, thought to originate from embolization of a deep-vein thrombosis, resulting in two clinical manifestations of one disease: venous thrombosis. The incidence of deep-vein thrombosis in the population is twice as high as the incidence of pulmonary embolism, i.e. 1 per 1000 and 0.5 per 1000 person-years respectively. The aim of this thesis was to assess whether pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis are always the same disease or not, and to answer this question with regard to etiology (genetic and acquired risk factors) and anatomical distribution of thrombi in the veins. We studied this question in two populations: the PEDLAR study and the MEGA case-control study. In the PEDLAR study we assessed the origin of pulmonary embolism using a total body Magnetic Resonance Direct Thrombus Imaging technique. We proposed several mecha nisms for the absence of deep-vein thrombi in more than half of the patients with pulmonary embolism. In addition, we investigated the effect of aging on venous valve thickness. This was performed in an ultrasonography study, with participants from 20 to 80 years old (the aging venous valves study). We hypothesized that part of the increasing incidence in venous thrombosis with age can be explained by increasing valve thickness. Show less
