Abstract
BACKGROUND: Without clear guidelines, contemporary use of reperfusion therapy for intermediate-risk and high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) may vary widely. We assessed variation and trends in use of reperfusion therapies (systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy) and how practices change when hospitals adopt mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: Using the national Premier Inc. AI Database (2016-2022), we identified adults with intermediate-risk or high-risk PE. For each reperfusion therapy, our primary outcome was intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC, representing between-hospital variation unexplained by patient/hospital characteristics; a priori, ICC > 15 % deemed "high" variation) and proportion trends over time with hierarchical regression models and assessed trends in use. Among hospitals that adopted mechanical thrombectomy, we conducted interrupted time series analysis to assess changes in use of systemic thrombolysis, catheter-directed thrombolysis, and any reperfusion therapy. RESULTS: We assessed 13,777 patients (11,846 intermediate-risk; 1931 high-risk PE) admitted in the US between 2016 and 2022. High variation was observed in catheter-directed thrombolysis (intermediate-risk: ICC 23.1 %; high-risk: ICC 23.8 %) and thrombectomy use (intermediate-risk: ICC 35.4 %; high-risk: ICC 25.1 %). Mechanical thrombectomy use increased from 0.6 % to 14.3 % between 2016 and 2022 (p < 0.001). Hospital adoption of mechanical thrombectomy was associated with a deceleration in growth of catheter-directed thrombolysis rates. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with intermediate-risk and high-risk PE in the US, reperfusion therapy use varies widely, and the use of mechanical thrombectomy increased between 2016 and 2022. At hospitals adopting mechanical thrombectomy, thrombectomy supplants catheter-directed thrombolysis without increasing total use of reperfusion therapy. These results raise questions about standardization of care, optimal resource allocation, and impact on patient outcomes.