Pleural effusion linked to increased short-term mortality in patients with pulmonary embolism

Results:

The final meta-analysis included 29 studies involving 13,430 PE patients.

The pooled incidence of pleural effusion in PE patients was 41.2%, which tended to be unilateral and small

Pooled analysis using a random-effects model showed that pleural effusion was associated with an increased risk of 30-day mortality and in-hospital mortality in patients with PE.

The meta-analysis found that PE patients had a high incidence of pleural effusion, which was usually unilateral and small. Pleural effusion generally increases 30-day and in-hospital mortality in patients with PE, and it is recommended that physicians be aware of the risk of death from PE, especially when patients have pleural effusion. Further investigations focusing on PE with pleural effusion are warranted.

Reference:

Li P, An J, Wang S, Hu X, Zeng T, Wan C, Shen Y, Wang T. Incidence and Prognostic Role of Pleural Effusion in Patients with Pulmonary Embolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2023; 12(6):2315. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12062315