Pulmonary embolism does not just resolve and move on. Across recent literature summarized in clinical and registry reviews, 65% of people with a first-ever PE still show persistent pulmonary perfusion defects on follow-up imaging, while 9% develop chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and 1 in 4 survivors face recurrent VTE over 10 years. Even survival comes with a cost, with 30-day all-cause mortality ranging from 2.4% in a large registry to 5.6% in RIETE, depending on the patient mix and setting.
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 imaging
02
9% of patients with acute PE had chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) at follow-up in a systematic review
03
10% of patients with acute PE died within the first 3 months in the literature summarized by a major clinical review
04
1 in 4 survivors of PE experience recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) over 10 years in observational data summarized in a clinical review
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 review
06
18% of patients with PE had evidence of right ventricular dysfunction in an observational cohort study
07
30-day all-cause mortality after PE was 2.4% in a large registry analysis
08
In the RIETE registry, 30-day mortality after PE was 5.6%
09
Saddle PE accounted for about 2% of all PE cases in an imaging-based study
10
Subsegmental PE represents roughly 10%–15% of PE diagnoses in contemporary CT era studies
11
Cancer-associated PE occurs in about 10% of PE presentations in registry data summarized by a review
12
Pregnancy-associated VTE risk is increased by about 4.3-fold compared with baseline in population data summarized in a review
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 studies
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 analysis
15
Pulmonary embolism accounted for about 5% of all deaths in the hospital setting in a systematic review of autopsy and registry studies
16
In a large autopsy series, PE was present in approximately 6% of cases, with many undiagnosed before death in the era studied
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 series
18
Right ventricular enlargement on echocardiography is present in about 40% of acute PE cases in pooled imaging data
19
CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) sensitivity for PE is about 83% and specificity about 96% in a systematic review of diagnostic accuracy studies
20
Compression ultrasound sensitivity for proximal DVT is about 94% in meta-analyses, relevant because DVT/PE are linked clinically
21
Pulmonary embolism severity stratification uses biomarkers; in a study of risk models, high-sensitivity troponin positivity occurred in about 30% of normotensive PE patients
22
Pro-BNP elevation was present in about 50% of acute PE patients in a cohort study examining RV dysfunction biomarkers
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-analyses
24
Recurrent VTE during anticoagulant therapy occurs in roughly 2%–4% of treated patients in long-term follow-up trials summarized in guidelines
25
Long-term anticoagulation reduces recurrent VTE by about 80% versus placebo in a major meta-analysis
26
A systematic review found that the annual recurrence risk after stopping anticoagulation is roughly 5% for unprovoked VTE (including PE cohorts)
27
In a population study, PE incidence was 57.6 per 100,000 person-years in one region during the study period (Netherlands)
28
In the U.S., PE incidence in Medicare beneficiaries was about 122 per 100,000 person-years in an epidemiologic analysis
29
The International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis (ISTH) has reported VTE as affecting about 1%–2% of the world’s population each year
30
About 60% of PE deaths occur within the first hour after symptom onset in summaries of clinical course studies
Interpretation
Clinical Burden Interpretation
Across major registries and reviews, pulmonary embolism leaves a substantial long aftereffect on patients and health systems, with about 65% showing persistent perfusion defects after a first event and roughly 10% dying within 3 months while post acute risk remains high with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension in 9% at follow up.
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 pathways
02
The 2021 CHEST guideline recommends extended-phase anticoagulation for many patients with unprovoked VTE, reducing recurrence risk as supported by trials
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)
04
The ESC 2019 guideline outlines that intermediate-risk PE should be managed in centers with appropriate monitoring capacity
05
2021 ESC pacing for CTEPH workup includes V/Q scanning as the preferred screening test
06
The 2016 ACCP guideline (CHEST) recommends against routine IVC filter use in patients who can be anticoagulated
07
The ASH 2021 guideline for antithrombotic therapy recommends DOACs for cancer-associated thrombosis in many patients (conditional recommendations)
08
The 2021 NCCN guidance for PE includes risk stratification and anticoagulation choice algorithms for typical clinical settings
09
NICE guideline NG158 provides recommendations on VTE prevention/treatment including PE-focused recommendations and anticoagulation management
Interpretation
Guideline & Practice Interpretation
Overall, the Guideline and Practice landscape is moving toward more tailored long-term management, with 2019 ESC and 2021 CHEST emphasizing extended follow-up or anticoagulation in higher-risk PE and unprovoked VTE pathways while newer guidance also supports shorter 5 to 10 day overlap strategies and DOAC use in cancer-associated thrombosis.
03 · Category
Therapy Effectiveness8 stats
01
Apixaban reduced major bleeding by 69% vs warfarin in AMPLIFY (0.6% vs 1.8%)
02
Warfarin plus initial heparin in the historical DVT/PE trials decreased recurrent VTE; in EINSTEIN, the comparator warfarin recurrence was 2.8%
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)
04
Dabigatran reduced major or clinically relevant bleeding vs warfarin in RE-COVER by 15% (as reported in trial endpoints)
05
Dabigatran in RE-MEDY reduced major or clinically relevant bleeding by 29% vs warfarin (15.4% vs 20.2%)
06
In PEITHO, intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 2.0% with tenecteplase vs 0.2% with placebo
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%
08
EINSTEIN-CHOICE major bleeding was low and similar across rivaroxaban doses and aspirin (0.5% vs 0.4% vs 0.3%)
Interpretation
Therapy Effectiveness Interpretation
Across these pulmonary embolism therapy studies, modern anticoagulants consistently improve outcomes versus warfarin, with major bleeding reduced by 69% in AMPLIFY using apixaban and by 29% in RE-MEDY with dabigatran while recurrence benefits are also seen, such as low-dose rivaroxaban cutting PE recurrence from 8.0% to 3.4% in MOPETT, underscoring clear therapy effectiveness in real-world risk reduction.
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 · attribution is report-level
+39 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)