Heparin is the reference therapy for most patients with pulmonary embolism. Some patients
with sub-massive pulmonary embolism defined by normal blood pressure and dysfunction of the
right ventricle have a higher mortality risk. It has been suggested that thrombolytic
treatment, a drug that dissolves blood clots more rapidly, may reduce the mortality in those
patients. The studies reported to date were unable to confirm or refute this hypothesis
because the number of patients included in those studies is too low. The aim of the study is
to compare thrombolytic treatment with heparin (which is the reference therapy for pulmonary
embolism) in a large group of patients with sub-massive pulmonary embolism.
Phase:
Phase 3
Details
Lead Sponsor:
Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Collaborators:
Boehringer Ingelheim German Federal Ministry of Education and Research