Dear friends,
2021 is coming to an end! We hope this newsletter finds you healthy and safe in this difficult time.
We would like to remind that in October we have celebrated 200 anniversary of Rudolf Virchow’s birthday. Importantly, the Virchow’s triad describing risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) is still valid. It should be underlined that patients diagnosed with acute PE may encounter serious adverse events in the course of disease and in particular in the first year after diagnosis, including recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding, arterial cardiovascular disease and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH).
Our Working Group in collaboration with the ESC Working Group on Atherosclerosis and Vascular Biology developed a position paper which has been endorsed by the European Respiratory Society. This position paper provides a comprehensive guide for optimal follow-up of patients with acute PE, covering multiple relevant aspects of patient counselling. We hope that it will serve as a practical guide to treating patients with acute PE complementary to the formal 2019 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. We discuss when and how to resume sporting activities, traveling and birth control are topics to be discussed soon after diagnosing PE. We propose limited cancer screening in selected patients, as well as test to evaluate the presence of acquired thrombophilia and CTEPH as part of routine practice, while routine testing for genetic thrombophilia should be avoided. Emphasis on maintaining a healthy lifestyle mitigates the risk of the post-PE syndrome and improves the long-term cardiovascular prognosis. By adopting measures of functional outcome and quality of life in routine practice, the post-PE syndrome can be identified early and addressed with appropriate treatment strategies such as cardiopulmonary rehabilitation. We do hope that this important position paper will be valuable in our routine clinical activity and will help to harmonize management of patients after acute PE across Europe.
Moreover, we would like to invite you to participate to a Global cross-sectional scientific survey dedicated to CTEPH (CLARITY). Because of the significant advances in the management of CTEPH these last years, it is of high interest to collect quantitative and qualitative insights on the contemporary management of CTEPH from the physician’s perspective. The objectives of this international survey are to gain real-world insights on current clinical practices in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of CTEPH, unmet needs of patients with CTEPH and cross-country differences in clinical practices. The questionnaire has been developed by an independent committee of international CTEPH experts using the Delphi method. As European cardiologists who are in the front line of managing patients with CTEPH or pulmonary embolism, we believe that sharing your experience is very relevant to address this research question; the WG very much underlines the importance of this project. Thank you for your participation!
In the name of whole Nucleus we wish you a merry Christmas, enjoy the holiday session, take some time off and enjoy it with your beloved one. For 2022 all the best that can happen for you and your beloved ones.
Piotr Pruszczyk Chairperson 2020-2022 and Stefano Barco, Communication Coordinator 2020-2022
Our mission: To reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease.