Efficacy and safety of catheter-based thrombectomy versus catheter-directed thrombolysis in acute pulmonary embolism.

Overview

Data comparing catheter-based thrombectomy (CBT) and catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) in acute pulmonary embolism are lacking. To address this, we performed a meta-analysis of prospective and retrospective studies of CBT and compared it to performance goal rates of mortality and major bleeding from a recently published network meta-analysis. When compared with performance goal for CDT based on historical studies, CBT was noninferior for all-cause mortality (6.0% vs 6.87%; P-value_NI < .001), non-inferior and superior for major bleeding (4.9% vs 11%; P-value_NI < .001 and P < .001 for superiority).