Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinical significance of the alveolar–arterial oxygen partial pressure difference (PA-aDO2) combined with the monocyte-to-large platelet ratio (MLPR) in patients with acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) complicated by pulmonary embolism (PE).Methods Ninety-six patients diagnosed with AECOPD complicated by PE between January 2022 and December 2024 were enrolled. Another 80 AECOPD patients without PE served as the non-PE group, and 50 healthy individuals were included as the control group. Levels of PA-aDO2 and MLPR were measured and compared among the three groups, and their correlations with D-dimer, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), and carbon dioxide (PaCO2) were analyzed. Logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for PE in AECOPD patients. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed to assess the diagnostic performance of PA-aDO2 and MLPR alone and in combination.Results The incidence of cough and dyspnea was higher in the combined PE group than in the non-PE group (P 0.05). PaCO2, D-dimer, and procalcitonin (PCT) levels were significantly higher in the combined PE group, while PaO2 was significantly lower (P 0.05). PA-aDO2 and MLPR levels were significantly elevated in the combined PE group compared with the non-PE and control groups, and were also higher in the non-PE group than in controls (P 0.05). Higher PaO? level [O^R = 0.227 (95% CI: 0.056, 0.924) ] was identified as a protective factor for AECOPD complicated with PE (P 0.05), whereas elevated PaCO2 [O^R = 7.218 (95% CI: 1.064, 48.959) ], D-dimer [O^R = 3.530 (95% CI: 1.027, 12.135) ], PCT [O^R = 26.208 (95% CI: 2.468, 278.254) ], PA-aDO2 [O^R = 9.567 (95% CI: 2.189, 41.818) ], and MLPR [O^R = 10.908 (95% CI: 2.082, 57.155) ] were independent risk factors for PE in AECOPD patients (P 0.05). The combined detection of PA-aDO2 and MLPR yielded a sensitivity of 83.3% (95% CI: 0.744, 0.902) and a specificity of 98.8% (95% CI: 0.932, 1.000).Conclusion PA-aDO2 and MLPR are markedly elevated in AECOPD patients with PE and closely associated with disease severity. Their combined detection enhances the accuracy of early diagnosis and risk assessment, providing valuable reference for clinical evaluation and treatment decision-making.