AUTHOR=Yang Tengyan , Yang Jian 

TITLE=Combined endovascular interventions for pulmonary embolism at high altitude in Tibet

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

VOLUME=11

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2024.1384930

DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2024.1384930

ISSN=2297-055X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Background</title><p>Managing pulmonary embolism (PE) at extremely high altitudes poses unique challenges due to harsh environmental conditions and limited healthcare resources.</p></sec><sec><title>Method</title><p>This study retrospectively analyzed Tibetan PE patients in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of combined endovascular interventional therapy in high-altitude areas.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>The average altitude of long-term residence for Tibetan patients was 3,863.4 ± 317.4 m, with an average age of 62.0 ± 16.0 years, and the time from computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) diagnosis to interventional treatment averaged 2.8 ± 2.2 days. The operation time for these patients was 106.1 ± 22.2 min, and the intraoperative dose of alteplase used was 23.3 ± 5.0 mg. All 9 patients reported profound remission of dyspnea and chest pain after endovascular interventions. The heart rate (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) and respiratory rate (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) of all enrolled patients were significantly decreased, and the peripheral capillary oxygen saturation (SpO2) was significantly increased (<italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.05) after interventions. No severe complications, such as bleeding, occurred in any patient.</p></sec><sec><title>Conclusion</title><p>This study demonstrated the potential clinical benefits and feasibility of combined endovascular interventional therapy for treating acute PE in extreme high-altitude regions.</p></sec>