About

The Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT) Consortium was developed after the initial efforts of a team of physicians at Massachusetts General Hospital. The first PERT sought to coordinate and expedite the treatment of pulmonary embolus with a balanced team of physicians from a variety of specialties. This multidisciplinary approach allows for: the rapid evaluation of risks, formulation of a treatment plan, and mobilization of the necessary resources to provide the highest level of care to those in need. Pulmonary embolism has long been called a silent killer. It is the third most common cause of death from cardiovascular disease, just after heart attack and stroke, but with prompt diagnosis and treatment, survival rates can be significantly improved. The PERT Consortium intends to guide and influence pulmonary embolism (PE) care and research in institutions across the U.S. and will be the driving force behind increased survival rates and the future of PE treatment.

The recently inaugural meeting of the PERT Consortium held in Boston, Massachusetts on May 21st, 2015 created the framework for a national consortium of pulmonary embolism response teams by establishing peopled Governance, Research, Education, Clinical Practice and Protocols, Development and Communication committees. The role of each committee is outlined as follows:

Clinical Practice and Protocol

One of the most important goals of the PERT Clinical Practice and Protocols Committee is to standardize PE clinical care. It will include guidelines for all stages of PE, including early diagnostics, management and treatment, and post-PE follow up. The committee will also create an online library that will include the clinical algorithms, references of high-impact clinical trials and a collection of clinical cases/patient vignettes.

Communication

Communicate the results of this nationwide collaboration to the medical community, patients and industry partners.

Development

The Development Committee is responsible for coordination of all fundraising activities within the Consortium.

The mission of this Committee is to develop and maintain relationships with industry partners in order to promote the educational objectives and generate support for Consortium meetings and programs. The Committee will work with the Executive Committee and Board of Directors, as well as the other Consortium committees, to develop revenue goals and budgets for annual meetings and all activities that require funding. The Development Committee will aim to generate increased sponsorship year-over-year.

Education

Engage patients, providers, and industry partners through educational initiatives that include spreading awareness of PE prevention and treatment to the general public, developing a PERT tool-box for physicians wishing to activate their institution into the PERT registry.

Governance

Guide the development of the PERT consortium; establish its structure, bylaws, and protect its identity.

Research

The PERT Consortium Research Committee is responsible for coordinating the collaborative research efforts of PERT Consortium members. This includes the creation of a registry describing the assessment, treatment and outcomes of patients cared for by PERTs across the United States. The Research Committee will also coordinate multicenter clinical trials, population and health policy analyses, outcome studies, surveys, and translational research. The Research Committee will facilitate multi-center collaboration among PERT Consortium members as well as data collection, analysis, presentation and publication.