• Rachel P Rosovsky, Charles Grodzin, Richard Channick, George A Davis, Jay S Giri, James Horowitz, Christopher Kabrhel, Robert Lookstein, Geno Merli, Timothy A Morris, Belinda Rivera-Lebron, Victor Tapson, Thomas M Todoran, Aaron S Weinberg, Kenneth Rosenfield, and PERT Consortium.
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. Electronic address: rprosovsky@mgh.harvard.edu.
• Chest. 2020 Dec 1; 158 (6): 259026012590-2601.

AbstractThe coexistence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and pulmonary embolism (PE), two life-threatening illnesses, in the same patient presents a unique challenge. Guidelines have delineated how best to diagnose and manage patients with PE. However, the unique aspects of COVID-19 confound both the diagnosis and treatment of PE, and therefore require modification of established algorithms. Important considerations include adjustment of diagnostic modalities, incorporation of the prothrombotic contribution of COVID-19, management of two critical cardiorespiratory illnesses in the same patient, and protecting patients and health-care workers while providing optimal care. The benefits of a team-based approach for decision-making and coordination of care, such as that offered by pulmonary embolism response teams (PERTs), have become more evident in this crisis. The importance of careful follow-up care also is underscored for patients with these two diseases with long-term effects. This position paper from the PERT Consortium specifically addresses issues related to the diagnosis and management of PE in patients with COVID-19.Copyright © 2020 American College of Chest Physicians. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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