New Guidelines Classify & Treat Pulmonary Embolism Severity | AHA/ACC 2024

A new clinical practice guideline, released jointly by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) on February 19, 2026, introduces a new system for categorizing the severity of acute pulmonary embolism (PE) and offers recommendations for treatment strategies, according to a press release from the ACC.

The guideline, published simultaneously in Circulation and the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, details recommendations for the evaluation, management, and follow-up care of adults experiencing acute PE. PE occurs when a blood clot, typically originating in a deep vein in the leg or pelvis, travels to the lungs and blocks arteries. This condition is part of a broader issue known as venous thromboembolism (VTE).

Approximately 470,000 people are hospitalized with PE annually in the United States, and roughly one in five high-risk patients succumb to the condition, according to the AHA’s 2026 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics. The new guideline aims to improve outcomes by facilitating faster and more effective treatment.

“There have been significant advances in the understanding of pulmonary embolism and treatments to effectively manage this condition,” said Mark A. Creager, M.D., FAHA, FACC, chair of the guideline writing committee and a professor of medicine at the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College. “This guideline is a road map to help clinicians navigate these advances for the safest and most effective approaches to care for people with this condition.”

The guideline addresses the entire spectrum of PE care, from initial symptom onset through clinical follow-up. It focuses on assessing risk, making a clinical diagnosis, utilizing appropriate cardiovascular testing, and managing both the acute phase and early post-acute phase of the condition. Recommendations are tailored to different care settings – emergency departments, inpatient facilities, and outpatient clinics – and consider the availability of local resources.

The guideline also outlines risk factors for acute PE, including recent surgery or hospitalization, trauma, prolonged immobility, pregnancy, obesity, cancer, and blood clotting disorders. It provides guidance on follow-up care, encompassing safe physical activity levels, travel considerations, and the long-term use of anticoagulant medications.

The AHA and ACC introduced a new Acute Pulmonary Embolism Clinical Category system to define the severity of the condition and assist in developing a treatment strategy for adults. The guideline’s release follows decades of work by the ACC and AHA to translate scientific evidence into clinical practice guidelines aimed at improving cardiovascular health, a process that began in 1980.