Last Week in Medicine
Wouldn't it be nice if someone reviewed all the latest internal medicine literature and distilled it into a brief podcast you could listen to on your way to work? Get updates from the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Network, Annals of Internal Medicine, Journal of Hospital Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Lancet and more.
Last Week in Medicine
2026 ACC/AHA Guidelines for Acute Pulmonary Embolism
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The ACC/AHA published new guidelines for managing acute PE on February 19, 2026. Today I'm joined by Dr. Scott Woller, MD, MACP, FCCP, who was co-chair of the American College of Chest Physicians Clinical Practice Guideline for antithrombotic therapy for venous thromboembolism, last updated in 2021. He also served as co-chair for the peer review committee for these new guidelines, and has lots of great insights into how to use them in clinical practice and research.
2026 ACC/AHA Guidelines for Diagnosis and Managing Acute PE
Some highlights from the guidelines:
- New categories of PE:
- A: asymptomatic
- B: symptomatic, low risk
- C: symptomatic, high risk
- D: incipient shock
- E: cardiogenic shock
- PE response teams (PERTs) are ascendant
- Use enoxaparin instead of heparin drip!
- Advanced therapies for category D and E
- Half dose DOACs for extended treatment
- Shared decision making for clots provoked by minor risk factors
- Patients with persistent symptoms need evaluation for CTEPD
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