EXPERT-DACH Registry

Head of Registry:
Priv.-Doz. Dr Dr Lukas Hobohm
Priv.-Doz. Dr Tobias Tichelbäcker
Study Management IZKS:
Michelle Adams 
Nadine Wollscheid 
Study Management CTH:
Dr Nadine Martin
Study Nurses and Doctoral Candidates:
Silke Otto
Amelie Charrier

Kontakt: expert@izks-mainz.de

Scientific Background

Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is defined as the partial or complete occlusion of one or more pulmonary arteries by embolised thrombi and is considered the most serious manifestation of venous thromboembolism (VTE). After myocardial infarction and stroke, VTE is the third most common cause of cardiovascular death. Haemodynamically unstable patients with acute VTE in particular have a high risk of early mortality. Therefore, haemodynamically unstable patients require therapeutic anticoagulation, circulatory support measures and immediate reperfusion therapy in the form of systemic thrombolysis. If systemic thrombolysis is contraindicated, alternative reperfusion procedures such as surgical embolectomy or catheter-assisted thrombus aspiration/fragmentation may be considered. In addition, mechanical circulatory support, in particular extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), can be an effective option for stabilising haemodynamics and bridging the gap until definitive therapy.

Due to the variety and complexity of possible treatment options and in order to optimise and accelerate the therapeutic management of haemodynamically compromised patients with acute LE, interdisciplinary ‘Pulmonary Embolism Response Teams’ (PERT) have been established in US hospitals - increasingly also in Europe. The timely activation of these expert teams enables consensus-based, individualised treatment approaches, taking into account all available resources. Initial experiences with modern web-based systems are promising, so that the establishment of such expert teams with on-call duty can also make a valuable contribution to the individualised treatment of high-risk or intermediate-high-risk patients in Germany.

 

Aim of the Registry

The aim of this registry study is to prospectively and systematically record and analyse the activation of a multidisciplinary team of experts (PERT) for the treatment of patients with acute pulmonary embolism in the DACH region. The study should allow conclusions to be drawn about the efficiency and development of this new multidisciplinary approach and generate hypotheses for controlled studies.