Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) Program

About the Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT)

In response to the clinical complexities of caring for patients with acute pulmonary embolism (PE), in 2016, Inova established a 24/7 Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) to promply diagnose and develop treatment plans for PE patients. This group of physicians and advanced practice providers includes specialists with a broad spectrum of expertise from multiple disciplines, including pulmonary medicine, critical care, interventional radiology, cardiology, emergency medicine, and cardiothoracic surgery.

Recognized Leaders in PE Care

The PERT group is recognized for its leadership and privileged to participate in many clinical trials that study innovative designs to advance care for patients with this condition further.

Our Approach

We review diagnostic tests such as computed tomography angiograms, echocardiograms, and laboratory data to determine the appropriate therapy in response to the severity of the condition. While anticoagulation remains the gold standard treatment for patients with PE, select patients with intermediate and high-risk PEs may require catheter-based or surgical thrombectomy. These patients typically have acute right heart failure; thus, they will require clot extraction (thrombectomy) to relieve the obstruction. Our results with these procedures have been excellent, with greater than 85% survival to discharge for patients undergoing catheter-directed thrombectomy.

For Physicians

Refer a patient around the clock

Inova’s Pulmonary Embolism Response Team is available 24-7 to evaluate patients and deliver care for the highest-risk PE patients requiring advanced-level care.

Suggested algorithm for possible consults:

High clot burden PE (massive or sub-massive PE)
Low risk PE for possible home discharge from the emergency department

Call 703-776-8000, extension 1.

Pulmonary embolisms are the third leading cause of cardiovascular mortality in the United States, with approximately 350,000 hospitalizations annually.

A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot that has traveled from another part of the body (typically the leg) through the veins and into the lungs, obstructing blood flow to the lungs, lowering oxygen levels, and increasing blood pressure in the pulmonary arteries. PE Patients often experience severe and sudden shortness of breath and chest pain. They are also at increased risk for right heart failure, cardiac arrest and multi-organ system dysfunction, making prompt treatment critical to reducing the risk of death.