Safety and Outcome of Rheolytic Thrombectomy for the Treatment of Acute Massive Pulmonary Embolism

Percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy is an attractive alternative to thrombolytic therapy in patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), but its use is currently discouraged due to safety concerns. We studied 33 consecutive patients (age, 43 ± 13 years; 20 men and 13 women) with acute PE and contraindications to thrombolytic therapy who had rheolytic thrombectomy with the AngioJet catheter (Boston Scientific). Acute massive PE was initially diagnosed by computed tomography and then confirmed by pulmonary angiography. Pulmonary thrombus location was evaluated prior to the procedure. Anemia was defined as a decrease in hematocrit level