Risk factors of acute pulmonary thromboembolism in Japanese patients hospitalized for medical illness: results of a multicenter registry in the Japanese society of pulmonary embolism research.

Background: Although the prophylaxis of acute pulmonary thromboembolism (APTE) in hospitalized patients has been improving in Japan, there is no report concerning APTE of Japanese medical patients. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the characteristics of APTE in Japanese patients hospitalized for medical illness, through a retrospective study.

Methods: In a total of 1,438 registry patients with pulmonary thromboembolism for recent 10 years, 1,027 patients with APTE were analyzed with respect to underlying diseases or predisposing factors, and clinical course.

Results: A hundred thirty three patients hospitalized for medical illness developed APTE, among 433 in-hospital APTE patients. The prevalence of APTE in women was more than in men. The mean age of the patients at diagnosis was 61 +/- 17 years. Main risk factors were a prolonged immobilization, stroke, cancer, indwelling central venous catheter. Fifty-four patients had 3 or more risk factors. In-hospital mortality rate was 23%.

Conclusions: Japanese patients in this registry had almost the same findings as in western patients, except for some points that had the possibility of demonstrating a difference between westerners and Japanese in the development of APTE. Our results will be available for establishing the prevention of APTE in medical patients in Japan.