International guidelines recommend intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) for high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE). In high-risk PE where IVT is contraindicated or has failed, surgical embolectomy or catheter-directed intervention (CDI) is recommended. CDI is also recommended as an alternative in patients with intermediate-risk PE with haemodynamic deterioration during anticoagulation treatment. Although there is a lack of randomized studies comparing CDI to anticoagulation or systemic thrombolysis in PE, several studies and recent meta-analyses have shown that CDI is an effective treatment that is associated with fewer complications than IVT, especially bleeding.