At University of Michigan Health, patients with a pulmonary embolism are treated with a specialized multidisciplinary team-based approach. Our team includes specialists from cardiology, vascular medicine, hospital medicine, hematology, pulmonary hypertension, interventional cardiology, interventional radiology and cardiothoracic surgery. 

The U-M Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center has dedicated specialized pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension clinics where specialists from various disciplines work in sync to deliver high-quality, personalized advanced care to these patients.  
 
We have a dedicated 24-hour on-call pulmonary embolism response team (PERT). A PERT consultation with the patient follows an extensive evaluation and discussion among various subspecialists, including medical management and interventional therapies.  

Patients have access to all available and upcoming novel investigations for the entire spectrum of pulmonary embolic disease, including acute PE, chronic PE and CTEPH. Our ability to work in a multidisciplinary fashion differentiates our program and allows patients access to various specialists and therapies. 

The U-M Health Frankel Cardiovascular Center has the most advanced surgical and interventional programs in the region for the treatment of acute and chronic PE and CTEPH. 

To make an appointment to discuss treatment for pulmonary embolism, call the University of Michigan Health Frankel Cardiovascular Call Center at  888-287-1082.  

The clinical presentation of acute pulmonary embolism is: 

• Shortness of breath 

• Chest pain 

• Rapid or irregular heartbeat 

• Fainting episodes 

• Lightheadedness 

A pulmonary embolism can be diagnosed in several ways, including: 

• Computed tomography (CT): Scan of the chest (the most common method of diagnosing a PE and DVT) 

• Chest X-ray: Provides a picture of the lungs and chest and helps rule out other possible conditions 

• Electrocardiogram (ECG): Helps differentiate a PE from a heart attack 

• Ventilation perfusion scan: A quick, non-invasive screening tool to look for CTEPH 

• Echocardiogram: Helps identify any heart dysfunction  

Medical management: Patients with a pulmonary embolism can be treated with blood thinners, also known as anticoagulants. These medications can be given intravenously, by injection under the skin, or by mouth. Blood thinners prevent a new clot from forming so that our body can begin the process of breaking down an existing clot. 

Advanced, non-surgical therapies:  

• Catheter-directed thrombolysis, a minimally invasive treatment to dissolve blood clots and improve blood flow to prevent damage to tissues and organs. During this procedure, which is performed in a catheterization laboratory, a clot-dissolving medication called thrombolytic is delivered in the pulmonary blood clot through a thin plastic tube, or catheter, placed in the pulmonary arteries typically from the groin, neck or behind the knee vein. The catheter is guided using X-ray imaging. 

• Catheter-based thrombus removal, also known as a mechanical thrombectomy, involves a thin tube or catheter to remove large blood clots from an artery. Michigan Medicine offers all the current approved non-surgical catheter-based technologies as well as numerous investigational studies. 

• Inferior vena cava filter, a procedure that involves a vein filter implanted via a thin wire into the vena cava, the main vein leading from the legs to the right side of the heart. The vein filter prevents clots from traveling to the heart or lungs. These devices prevent future clot migration from legs to lungs and are placed temporarily if a patient’s bleeding risk with conventional blood thinners is very high. 

What you need to know about blood clots