Real-world data highlight the benefits of thrombectomy for pulmonary embolism patients
New data from the landmark STORM-PE trial show a significant improvement in mobility and recovery outcomes in pulmonary embolism (PE) patients who had thrombectomy compared to anticoagulation alone. The new study subset analysis was presented at the Vascular InterVentional Advances (VIVA) 2026 meeting in Las Vegas.
STORM-PE was one of the top late-breaking trials at TCT 2025, comparing treatment with computer assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT) plus anticoagulation to anticoagulation alone. It showed that thrombectromy was the best strategy in treating acute intermediate-to-high risk PE patients.
This updated analysis looked at a cohort of trial patients discharged with a fitness watch to see if there was an observable benefit between patients treated in the two groups. STORM-PE investigators used the watch-captured data to look at the day-to-day movement of these individuals and made comparisons to their 6-minute walk tests performed during 30- and 90-day follow-up visits. Overall, the group found a correlation between real-world movement as captured by a consumer wearable device and patient performance in the clinical 6-minute walk tests.
"STORM-PE is the first randomized controlled trial in PE therapy to incorporate data from a consumer wearable device, representing an important step forward in understanding how office assessed clinical improvements translate into meaningful real-world recovery," Robert Lookstein, MD, MSc, global co‑principal investigator of STORM‑PE and professor of radiology and surgery at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said in a statement. "This innovation enables the scientific community to determine whether improvements observed during office assessments are reflected in patients' real-world experiences at home."
The wearable device day data showed that thrombectomy patients had higher performance in their daily step count, walking bout length, number of walking bouts, walking bout duration, and peak 10-minute step count. This data correlated with 6-minute walk test performances after 30 days.
"This STORM-PE subset gives us a more complete picture of patient recovery by allowing us to compare data collected in the clinic with information gathered as patients go about their daily lives," Rachel Rosovsky, MD, MPH, global co-principal investigator of STORM‑PE, hematologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, explained in the same statement. "By generating a more comprehensive view of patient outcomes, these findings have the potential not only to advance our understanding of the role of endovascular therapy in PE, but also to help shape the design of future clinical trials."
Many interventional cardiologists involved in studies and endovascular PE response teams (PERTs) said the trial will likely push more centers to adopt a wider interventional strategy over use of anticoagulation alone. These new data add further evidence of improved outcomes.
Dave Fornell has covered healthcare for more than 17 years, with a focus in cardiology and radiology. Fornell is a 5-time winner of a Jesse H. Neal Award, the most prestigious editorial honors in the field of specialized journalism. The wins included best technical content, best use of social media and best COVID-19 coverage. Fornell was also a three-time Neal finalist for best range of work by a single author. He produces more than 100 editorial videos each year, most of them interviews with key opinion leaders in medicine. He also writes technical articles, covers key trends, conducts video hospital site visits, and is very involved with social media. E-mail: [email protected]