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Data from the World Health Organization Mortality Database Reveal Fewer Deaths from Pulmonary Embolism in the European Region over the past 15 years - Seite 2

Although the interpretation of vital registration data should be cautious due to intrinsic limitations of this type of analyses, as we know that 60 percent of pulmonary emboli are due to hospital admission, it is likely that better prevention strategies in hospitalized patients and improved treatment of pulmonary embolism account for the decreasing mortality due to pulmonary embolisms in Europe, according to the authors.

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¹ Barco S et al., Trends in mortality related to pulmonary embolism (p. 10).

² Barco S et al., Trends in mortality related to pulmonary embolism (p. 2).

In 2010, the England National Health Service (NHS) mandated the reporting of risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) with a target of 95 percent of adult admissions. As a result, there has been a 15.4 percent reduction in deaths within 90 days after discharge across England.

"Using this approach to reduce the national incidence and in-hospital mortality of pulmonary embolisms in the U.K. has been an important strategy for decreasing deaths," says Prof. Beverley Hunt, OBE, chair of the World Thrombosis Day Steering Committee. "Widespread adoption of NHS England's systematic approach to thromboprophylaxis would be of huge benefit to WHO's plan of reducing premature mortality from non-communicable disease by 25 percent by 2025."

Global efforts, such as World Thrombosis Day on 13 October, are underway to build awareness and encourage countries to implement large-scale preventive programs to continue to reduce deaths due to thrombosis. Created by the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis, World Thrombosis Day seeks to increase global awareness of thrombosis, including its causes, risk factors, signs/symptoms and evidence-based prevention and treatment. Ultimately, the campaign supports the World Health Assembly's global target of reducing premature deaths by non-communicable disease by 25 percent by 2025.