Innovation Stories: Interventional Radiology

Pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States, resulting in nearly 100,000 deaths each year. To address this, the Interventional Radiology (IR) team has implemented system‑wide clinical improvements and launched numerous clinical trials aimed at advancing the diagnosis and treatment of PE.

• In 2019, Greg Woodhead, MD, PhD, co‑founded a Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) to accelerate multidisciplinary decision‑making for intermediate‑ and high‑risk PE, enhancing care in time‑sensitive clinical cases.
• Current IR‑initiated clinical trials focus on functional and quality‑of‑life outcomes, offering deeper insight into long‑term recovery after PE.
• Future prospective trials are rapidly entering the pipeline, with IR set to evaluate combination therapies and next‑generation devices. These emerging interventional PE therapies are poised to reshape clinical practice.