Comparison of ESC Guidelines 2008 and 2014 – Diagnostic and treatment of acute pulmonary embolism

The new revised ESC Guidelines focussing on clinical management of pulmonary embolism has been published in 2014 October issue of EHJ, and it represents current knowledge in respect of optimal diagnosis, assessment and treatment of patients with PE. Czech Society of Cardiology prepared shortened version of the new guidelines, which is published in this issue of Cor et Vasa. In our manuscript we focussed on the most important differences between these two guidelines: Recently identified predisposing factors for venous thromboembolism, simplification of clinical prediction rules, age-adjusted d-dimer cut-offs, sub-segmental pulmonary embolism, incidental, clinically unsuspected pulmonary embolism, advanced risk stratification of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism, initiation of treatment with vitamin K antagonists, treatment and secondary prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism with the new direct oral anticoagulants, efficacy and safety of reperfusion treatment for patients at intermediate risk, early discharge and home (outpatient) treatment of pulmonary embolism, current diagnosis and treatment of chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and finally, formal recommendations for the management of pulmonary embolism in pregnancy and of pulmonary embolism in patients with cancer.