This meta-analysis included 18 studies involving 24,090 patients with intermediate/high-risk pulmonary embolism, comparing catheter-directed thrombolysis with mechanical thrombectomy. Catheter-directed thrombolysis was associated with longer ICU stay than mechanical thrombectomy (mean difference 1.01 days, 95% confidence interval 0.87–1.15). All-cause mortality did not differ statistically between treatments (risk ratio 0.88, 95% confidence interval 0.76–1.01), nor did major bleeding (risk ratio 1.07, 95% confidence interval 0.74–1.55). These estimates came from a random-effects analysis, and the authors called for larger randomized trials to confirm the findings.
The pooled evidence suggests longer ICU stays with catheter-directed thrombolysis, without a statistically significant mortality or major bleeding difference. These findings do not establish equivalence between treatments.
Study limitation: The abstract does not specify the included study designs or outcome follow-up periods, limiting assessment of bias and comparability.
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