Changing Trends in Hospital Admissions for Pulmonary Embolism in Spain from 2001 to 2018

(1) Background: The aims of this study were to examine trends in the incidence, clinical characteristics, and in-hospital outcomes of patients hospitalized with pulmonary embolism in Spain and to identify factors associated with in-hospital mortality (IHM). (2) Methods: We included all patients who were hospitalized for pulmonary embolism between 2001 and 2018. Data were collected from the Spanish National Hospital Discharge Database. (3) Results: We identified 241,821 hospitalizations for pulmonary embolism during the study period. The incidence of pulmonary embolism increased from 20.49 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the period 2001-2002 to 35.9 cases in the period 2017-2018 (p < 0.001). After controlling for possible confounders, there was a significant increase in the incidence over the study period (adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.53, 95% Confidence Interval I 1.51-1.56). The median length of hospital stay was 11 days in the period 2001-2002, decreasing to seven days in the period 2017-2018 (p < 0.001). For the total time period, the crude IHM rate was 9.51%. After multivariable adjustment, IHM decreased significantly over time. The IHM was significantly higher in women, in patients suffering from more comorbidities, and in those with a massive pulmonary embolism. (4) Conclusions: Our results revealed an increase in the incidence of pulmonary embolism hospitalizations from 2001 to 2018 in Spain, with older patients being the most affected.