Di Pan

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MULTI-DISCIPLINARY PULMONARY EMBOLISM RESPONSE TEAM (PERT) IN A NEW YORK CITY TEACHING HOSPITAL CENTER

METHODS: A multi-disciplinary PERT was assembled to respond to PE in two sites of an academic hospital center, comprised of attending physicians in Pulmonary/Critical Care, Interventional Radiology, and Cardiothoracic Surgery. Critical care consultations for submassive or massive PE lead to activation of the PERT, available 24 hours a day. A secure encrypted messaging application is used to share information, including clips of the CT angiogram and transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) images. This allows the involved specialties to review relevant information, ask questions and give input in real-time. Once a consensus is reached the PERT leader, assigned weekly, directly contacts the intensivist who activated the PERT (ultimately the decision belongs to this intensivist). Fellows are also included in this group for their education and involvement.