Mortality and Epidemiological Characteristics of Pulmonary Embolism in Spain (2022–2024)
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Background
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a major cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. This study aims to describe the epidemiological trends, clinical complexity, and in-hospital mortality of PE admissions in Spain from 2022 to 2024.
Methods
We conducted a nationwide, retrospective study using the Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set for Hospitalization (MBDS-H) for adult patients admitted with acute PE.
Results
We identified 125,305 hospital admissions for acute PE. The median patient age was 74 years with a slight male predominance (51–52%). A high comorbidity burden was observed: 61–62% had COPD, 35–37% hypertension, and 21–24% malignancy; ICU admissions increased from 11% to 13% (p < 0.001), with median ICU stay rising from 4 to 7 days (p < 0.001). In-hospital mortality significantly decreased during 2022–2024 from 13.12% to 11.44% (p = 0.013). Mortality per 100,000 inhabitants was consistently higher in men.
Conclusion
This study highlights the high healthcare burden posed by acute embolism in hospitals, demonstrating an increase in patient complexity alongside a decline in overall mortality.
