Authors

Wissam A. Jaber, Emory University Hospital
Carin F. Gonsalves MD, Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals
Stefan Stortecky, Bern University Hospitals
Samuel Horr, Centennial Medical Center
Ripal T. Gandhi, Baptist Health South Florida
Keith Pereira, Saint Louis University
Jay Giri, University of Pennsylvania
Sameer J. Khandhar, University of Pennsylvania
Khawaja Afzal Ammar, St. Luke's Medical Center
David M. Lasorda, Allegheny Health Network
Brian Stegman, CentraCare Heart and Vascular Center
Lucas Busch, University Düsseldorf
David J. Dexter, Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion UniversityFollow
Ezana M. Azene, Emplify Health
Nikhil Daga, Huntington Hospital
Fakhir Elmasri, Lakeland Vascular Institute
Chandra R. Kunavarapu, Methodist Heart and Lung Institute
Mark E. Rea, Summa Health System
Joseph S. Rossi, University of North Carolina
Joseph Campbell, OhioHealth Riverside Methodist Hospital
Jonathan Lindquist, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora
Adam Raskin, Mercy Heart Institute
Jason C. Smith, Loma Linda University Health
Thomas M. Tamlyn, Ascension St. Elizabeth Hospital
Gabriel A. Hernandez, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Parth Rali, Temple University Hospital
Torrey R. Schmidt, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Jeffrey T. Bruckel, University of Rochester Medical Center
Juan C. Camacho, Florida State University
Jun Li, University Hospitals Harrington Heart and Vascular Institute
Samy Selim, Northwell Health/St. Francis Hospital and Heart Center
Catalin Toma, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Sukhdeep Singh Basra, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Brian A. Bergmark, Harvard Medical School
Bhavraj Khalsa, St. Joseph Heart and Vascular Center
David M. Zlotnick, University at Buffalo
Jordan Castle, Inland Imaging
David J. O'Connor, Hackensack University Medical Center
C. Michael Gibson, Harvard Medical School
for the Peerless Committees and Investigators

ORCID

0000-0003-1366-3906 (Dexter)

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.072364

Publication Title

Circulation

Volume

151

Issue

5

Pages

260-273

Abstract

BACKGROUND: There are a lack of randomized controlled trial data comparing outcomes of different catheter-based interventions for intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism.

METHODS: PEERLESS is a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial that enrolled 550 patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism with right ventricular dilatation and additional clinical risk factors randomized 1:1 to treatment with large-bore mechanical thrombectomy (LBMT) or catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT). The primary end point was a hierarchal win ratio composite of the following (assessed at the sooner of hospital discharge or 7 days after the procedure): (1) all-cause mortality, (2) intracranial hemorrhage, (3) major bleeding, (4) clinical deterioration and/or escalation to bailout, and (5) postprocedural intensive care unit admission and length of stay. Assessments at the 24-hour visit included respiratory rate, modified Medical Research Council dyspnea score, New York Heart Association classification, right ventricle/left ventricle ratio reduction, and right ventricular function. End points through 30 days included total hospital stay, all-cause readmission, and all-cause mortality.

RESULTS: The primary end point occurred significantly less frequently with LBMT compared with CDT (win ratio, 5.01 [95% CI, 3.68–6.97]; P24 hours (19.3% versus 64.5%). There were no significant differences in mortality, intracranial hemorrhage, or major bleeding between strategies or in a secondary win ratio end point including the first 4 components (win ratio, 1.34 [95% CI, 0.78–2.35]; P=0.30). At the 24-hour visit, respiratory rate was lower for patients treated with LBMT (18.3±3.3 versus 20.1±5.1; P

CONCLUSIONS: PEERLESS met its primary end point in favor of LBMT compared with CDT in treatment of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism. LBMT had lower rates of clinical deterioration and/or bailout and postprocedural intensive care unit use compared with CDT, with no difference in mortality or bleeding.

Rights

© 2024 The Authors.

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial-NoDerivatives (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License, which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided that the original work is properly cited, the use is noncommercial, and no modifications or adaptations are made.

Data Availability

Article states: "Data collected in this study will not be made available to others."

Original Publication Citation

Jaber, W. A., Gonsalves, C. F., Stortecky, S., Horr, S., Pappas, O., Gandhi, R. T., Pereira, K., Giri, J., Khandhar, S. J., Ammar, K. A., Lasorda, D. M., Stegman, B., Busch, L., Dexter, D. J., Azene, E. M., Daga, N., Elmasri, F., Kunavarapu, C. R., Rea, M. E.,…Gibson, C. M. (2025). Large-bore mechanical thrombectomy versus catheter-directed thrombolysis in the management of intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism: Primary results of the PEERLESS randomized controlled trial. Circulation, 151(5), 260-273. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.124.072364

10.1161.circulationaha.124.072364 supplement.pdf (463 kB)
Supplemental Material

circ-2024-072364-s01.pdf (463 kB)
Supplemental Material - PEERLESS trial site principal investigators...

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