Episode Details

CardioNerds Drs. Dinu Balanescu, Billy-Joe Mullinax, and Mariana Garcia discuss systemic thrombolysis in pulmonary embolism with expert Dr. Allison Burnett. Audio editing by CardioNerds Academy intern, student doctor, Pace Wetstein.

Pulmonary embolism is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the US, and high-risk PE carries a 30-day mortality risk as high as 30-50%. In this episode, we discuss the indications for systemic thrombolysis, including high-risk PE and cardiac arrest. We addressed how to appropriately select candidates for systemic thrombolysis, balancing the high risk of bleeding. Additionally, we discussed anticoagulation management and timing concurrent with lytic therapy, as well as the importance of multidisciplinary PERT teams. 

The 2026 American multi-society PE guidelines were published after this episode was recorded.

Dr. Dinu Balanescu and Dr. Billy-Joe Mullinax are Co-chairs for the CardioNerds PE Series, developed in collaboration with the PERT Consortium.  

Enjoy this Circulation 2022 Paths to Discovery article to learn about the CardioNerds story, mission, and values.