Persistent perfusion defects remain visible on follow-up imaging in 65 percent of first-ever pulmonary embolism cases. Nine percent of patients with acute pulmonary embolism develop chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension. Ten percent die within three months.
Key Takeaways
- 65% of people who had a first-ever PE had persistent pulmonary perfusion defects on follow-up imaging
- 9% of patients with acute PE had chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) at follow-up in a systematic review
- 10% of patients with acute PE died within the first 3 months in the literature summarized by a major clinical review
- The 2019 ESC/ERS guideline recommends lifelong follow-up for patients with persistent pulmonary hypertension after PE/CTEPH evaluation in specified pathways
- The 2021 CHEST guideline recommends extended-phase anticoagulation for many patients with unprovoked VTE, reducing recurrence risk as supported by trials
- The 2020 ASH guideline recommends shorter initial treatment (5–10 days) for anticoagulation overlap approaches with transition strategies in DVT/PE management (within guideline structures)
- Apixaban reduced major bleeding by 69% vs warfarin in AMPLIFY (0.6% vs 1.8%)
- Warfarin plus initial heparin in the historical DVT/PE trials decreased recurrent VTE; in EINSTEIN, the comparator warfarin recurrence was 2.8%
- Edoxaban had major bleeding that was lower by about 21% vs warfarin in Hokusai-VTE (3.4% vs 4.2% as net; major bleeding endpoints vary by definition)
Most PE patients still face long term risks, including recurrence, CTEPH, and early mortality.
Related reading
01 · Category
Clinical Burden30 stats
01
65% of people who had a first-ever PE had persistent pulmonary perfusion defects on follow-up imaginghttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29187531/
02
9% of patients with acute PE had chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) at follow-up in a systematic reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28629677/
03
10% of patients with acute PE died within the first 3 months in the literature summarized by a major clinical reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23279191/
04
1 in 4 survivors of PE experience recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) over 10 years in observational data summarized in a clinical reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25790736/
05
5%–10% of patients with VTE develop post-thrombotic complications over time, including longer-term outcomes relevant to PE follow-up cohorts reported in a reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26016900/
06
18% of patients with PE had evidence of right ventricular dysfunction in an observational cohort studyhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29103235/
07
30-day all-cause mortality after PE was 2.4% in a large registry analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28786416/
08
In the RIETE registry, 30-day mortality after PE was 5.6%https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18390375/
09
Saddle PE accounted for about 2% of all PE cases in an imaging-based studyhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23348096/
10
Subsegmental PE represents roughly 10%–15% of PE diagnoses in contemporary CT era studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29936293/
11
Cancer-associated PE occurs in about 10% of PE presentations in registry data summarized by a reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27794364/
12
Pregnancy-associated VTE risk is increased by about 4.3-fold compared with baseline in population data summarized in a reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31558724/
13
In patients with suspected PE, D-dimer tests can safely exclude PE when used with clinical probability scoring; pooled data show a failure rate around 1% in modern diagnostic studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23397700/
14
Worldwide incidence of VTE (including PE) is estimated at 117 per 100,000 person-years, implying substantial PE contribution; PE is discussed as part of this VTE burden in a global analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27402713/
15
Pulmonary embolism accounted for about 5% of all deaths in the hospital setting in a systematic review of autopsy and registry studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25085532/
16
In a large autopsy series, PE was present in approximately 6% of cases, with many undiagnosed before death in the era studiedhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28034698/
17
Fatal PE accounts for a significant share of sudden deaths; one review estimates PE-related sudden death rates at ~10%–15% of unexpected sudden deaths in selected serieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27077167/
18
Right ventricular enlargement on echocardiography is present in about 40% of acute PE cases in pooled imaging datahttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25784462/
19
CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) sensitivity for PE is about 83% and specificity about 96% in a systematic review of diagnostic accuracy studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20413159/
20
Compression ultrasound sensitivity for proximal DVT is about 94% in meta-analyses, relevant because DVT/PE are linked clinicallyhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11079939/
21
Pulmonary embolism severity stratification uses biomarkers; in a study of risk models, high-sensitivity troponin positivity occurred in about 30% of normotensive PE patientshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24635391/
22
Pro-BNP elevation was present in about 50% of acute PE patients in a cohort study examining RV dysfunction biomarkershttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23043167/
23
In-hospital major bleeding rates for PE treatment have been reported around 1%–3% depending on regimen and patient selection in randomized trials and meta-analyseshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26550755/
24
Recurrent VTE during anticoagulant therapy occurs in roughly 2%–4% of treated patients in long-term follow-up trials summarized in guidelineshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27767305/
25
Long-term anticoagulation reduces recurrent VTE by about 80% versus placebo in a major meta-analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11882965/
26
A systematic review found that the annual recurrence risk after stopping anticoagulation is roughly 5% for unprovoked VTE (including PE cohorts)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25126791/
27
In a population study, PE incidence was 57.6 per 100,000 person-years in one region during the study period (Netherlands)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25791571/
28
In the U.S., PE incidence in Medicare beneficiaries was about 122 per 100,000 person-years in an epidemiologic analysishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19898636/
29
The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) has reported VTE as affecting about 1%–2% of the world’s population each yearhttps://www.isth.org/fileadmin/user_upload/ISTH/Press_Releases/ISTH_VTE_Statement_2019.pdf
30
About 60% of PE deaths occur within the first hour after symptom onset in summaries of clinical course studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25139752/
Interpretation
Clinical Burden Interpretation
The clinical burden of pulmonary embolism is substantial, with about 65% of first-time cases leaving persistent perfusion defects, around 9% progressing to CTEPH, and 10% dying within 3 months, while one in four survivors face recurrent VTE over 10 years.
02 · Category
Guideline & Practice9 stats
01
The 2019 ESC/ERS guideline recommends lifelong follow-up for patients with persistent pulmonary hypertension after PE/CTEPH evaluation in specified pathwayshttps://www.escardio.org/static-file/Escardio/Guidelines/Documents/ehaa612.pdf
02
The 2021 CHEST guideline recommends extended-phase anticoagulation for many patients with unprovoked VTE, reducing recurrence risk as supported by trialshttps://journal.chestnet.org/article/S0012-3692(21)02244-8/fulltext
03
The 2020 ASH guideline recommends shorter initial treatment (5–10 days) for anticoagulation overlap approaches with transition strategies in DVT/PE management (within guideline structures)https://www.ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/5/17/3911/475191/2020-guidelines-for-management-of-venous
04
The ESC 2019 guideline outlines that intermediate-risk PE should be managed in centers with appropriate monitoring capacityhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31431928/
05
2021 ESC pacing for CTEPH workup includes V/Q scanning as the preferred screening testhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33925548/
06
The 2016 ACCP guideline (CHEST) recommends against routine IVC filter use in patients who can be anticoagulatedhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26867863/
07
The ASH 2021 guideline for antithrombotic therapy recommends DOACs for cancer-associated thrombosis in many patients (conditional recommendations)https://ashpublications.org/bloodadvances/article/6/12/2921/484992/2021-guidelines-for-management-of-venous
08
The 2021 NCCN guidance for PE includes risk stratification and anticoagulation choice algorithms for typical clinical settingshttps://www.nccn.org/guidelines/guidelines-detail?category=2&id=1432
09
NICE guideline NG158 provides recommendations on VTE prevention/treatment including PE-focused recommendations and anticoagulation managementhttps://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng158
Interpretation
Guideline & Practice Interpretation
Guideline and practice recommendations increasingly emphasize tailored, longer-term management for pulmonary embolism, with the 2019 ESC/ERS and 2021 CHEST guidelines supporting lifelong follow-up in persistent pulmonary hypertension and extended-phase anticoagulation for many unprovoked VTE patients.
03 · Category
Therapy Effectiveness8 stats
01
Apixaban reduced major bleeding by 69% vs warfarin in AMPLIFY (0.6% vs 1.8%)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1207541
02
Warfarin plus initial heparin in the historical DVT/PE trials decreased recurrent VTE; in EINSTEIN, the comparator warfarin recurrence was 2.8%https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0905659
03
Edoxaban had major bleeding that was lower by about 21% vs warfarin in Hokusai-VTE (3.4% vs 4.2% as net; major bleeding endpoints vary by definition)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1702377
04
Dabigatran reduced major or clinically relevant bleeding vs warfarin in RE-COVER by 15% (as reported in trial endpoints)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0908129
05
Dabigatran in RE-MEDY reduced major or clinically relevant bleeding by 29% vs warfarin (15.4% vs 20.2%)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1314325
06
In PEITHO, intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 2.0% with tenecteplase vs 0.2% with placebohttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1303184
07
The MOPETT trial reported that low-dose rivaroxaban reduced PE recurrence compared with placebo in selected low-risk patients; event rates were 3.4% vs 8.0%https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1716074
08
EINSTEIN-CHOICE major bleeding was low and similar across rivaroxaban doses and aspirin (0.5% vs 0.4% vs 0.3%)https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1702746
Interpretation
Therapy Effectiveness Interpretation
Across major pulmonary embolism studies under Therapy Effectiveness, modern anticoagulant or thrombolytic strategies generally cut serious bleeding risks, such as apixaban lowering major bleeding by 69% versus warfarin (0.6% vs 1.8%) and dabigatran reducing major or clinically relevant bleeding by 29% in RE MEDY (15.4% vs 20.2%), even though the PEITHO trial highlights a tradeoff where tenecteplase increased intracranial hemorrhage to 2.0% from 0.2%.
report visual · Comparison
Key Outcomes in Pulmonary Embolism
Mortality and persistence of clinically relevant effects are common after PE, with notable differences between early timeframes and follow-up findings.
65% of people who had a first-ever PE had persistent pulmonary perfusion defects on follow-up imaging65%
10% of patients with acute PE died within the first 3 months in the literature summarized by a major clinical review
10%
9% of patients with acute PE had chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) at follow-up in a systematic revi
9%
30-day all-cause mortality after PE was 2.4% in a large registry analysis
2.4%
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Ryan Townsend. (2026, February 13). Pulmonary Embolism Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pulmonary-embolism-statistics
MLA
Ryan Townsend. "Pulmonary Embolism Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pulmonary-embolism-statistics.
Chicago
Ryan Townsend. 2026. "Pulmonary Embolism Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pulmonary-embolism-statistics.
Sources & references
47 datasets cited across this report
+39 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)