Copyright: ©Author(s) 2026. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. No commercial re-use. See permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.
World J Transl Med. Sep 28, 2026; 12(3): 121879
Published online Sep 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.121879
Published online Sep 28, 2026. doi: 10.5528/wjtm.121879
Antiplatelet therapy in pulmonary embolism: Mechanisms and evidence
Tsampika-Vasileia Kalamara, Konstantinos Dodos, Laboratory of Physiology, School of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Kentrikí Makedonía, Greece
Vasiliki E Georgakopoulou, Department of Pathophysiology, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece
Author contributions: Kalamara TV conceived the study and performed the majority of the writing; Dodos K performed data accusation and writing; Georgakopoulou VE coordinated and supervised the writing and critically revised the manuscript; and all authors approved the final version of the manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.
AI contribution statement: The manuscript was not generated by artificial intelligence. The scientific content, data interpretation, and conclusions are entirely the original work of the authors. ChatGPT was used only to assist with minor language editing, such as grammar, syntax, and clarity improvements. This tool was used strictly for linguistic refinement and did not contribute to the scientific content, data analysis, interpretation, or conclusions of the manuscript. No images included in the manuscript were generated by artificial intelligence. All figures are original and comply with the journal’s requirements. All references were selected, verified, and curated by the authors. No references were generated by AI tools without manual verification and approval by the authors.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that they have no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Vasiliki E Georgakopoulou, MD, Department of Pathophysiology, Laiko General Hospital, Medical School of National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 17 Agiou Toma Street, Athens 11527, Greece. vaso_georgakopoulou@hotmail.com
Received: April 3, 2026
Revised: July 14, 2026
Accepted: August 31, 2026
Published online: September 28, 2026
Processing time: 153 Days and 6.8 Hours
Revised: July 14, 2026
Accepted: August 31, 2026
Published online: September 28, 2026
Processing time: 153 Days and 6.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Although pulmonary embolism (PE) is classically considered a fibrin-rich, anticoagulation-responsive disorder, platelets are increasingly recognized as active participants in venous thrombogenesis and thrombo-inflammatory signaling. This mini-review examines the mechanistic and clinical evidence linking platelets to PE and critically evaluates the current and potential role of antiplatelet therapy in its prevention and management.