Randomised controlled trial of a prognostic assessment and management pathway to reduce the length of hospital stay in normotensive patients with acute pulmonary embolism

Background The length of hospital stay (LOS) for acute pulmonary embolism (PE) varies considerably. Whether the upfront use of a PE prognostic assessment and management pathway is effective in reducing the LOS remains unknown. Methods We conducted a randomised controlled trial of adults hospitalised for acute PE: patients were assigned either to a prognostic assessment and management pathway involving risk stratification followed by predefined criteria for mobilisation and discharge (intervention group) or to usual care (control group). The primary end-point was LOS. The secondary end-points were the cost of prognostic tests and of hospitalisation, and 30-day clinical outcomes. Results Of 500 patients who underwent randomisation, 498 were included in the modified intention-to-treat analysis. The median LOS was 4.0 days (interquartile range (IQR) 3.7–4.2 days) in the intervention group and 6.1 days (IQR 5.7–6.5 days) in the control group (p<0.001). The mean total cost of prognostic tests was EUR 174.76 in the intervention group, compared with EUR 233.12 in the control group (mean difference EUR −58.37, 95% CI EUR −84.34 to −32.40). The mean total hospitalisation cost per patient was EUR 2085.66 in the intervention group, compared with EUR 3232.97 in the control group (mean difference EUR −1147.31, 95% CI EUR −1414.97 to −879.65). No significant differences were observed in 30-day readmission (4.0% versus 4.8%), all-cause mortality (2.4% versus 2.0%) or PE-related mortality (0.8% versus 1.2%) rates. Conclusions The use of a prognostic assessment and management pathway was effective in reducing the LOS for acute PE.