The aim of this study is to analyze the risk factors and clinical characteristics of pulmonary embolism in northern Shaanxi.  In this study, 162 patients with venous thrombosis admitted between June 2023 and June 2024 underwent CT pulmonary angiography to investigate the risk factors and clinical characteristics of pulmonary embolism (PE) in northern Shaanxi. The patients were divided into a control group (no PE, n = 98) and a study group (PE, n = 64) based on the presence or absence of PE. Data were collected using a Case Report Form, and statistical analyses were conducted to summarize clinical features and risk factors, followed by three months of targeted therapy. Significant differences were observed between the two groups in clinical manifestations such as pleural pain, dyspnea, and hemoptysis, as well as in past medical histories (including malignant tumor history and right ventricular dysfunction), physical signs like lung rales, and laboratory parameters such as hemoglobin, albumin, white blood cell count, D-dimer, blood oxygen saturation, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analysis identified pleural pain, dyspnea, malignancy, right ventricular dysfunction, lung rales, D-dimer, white blood cell levels, and blood oxygen saturation as risk factors for PE in patients with venous thrombosis. Following targeted therapy, the proportions of patients with pleural pain, dyspnea, and lung rales decreased significantly, with concurrent reductions in right ventricular end-diastolic inner diameter (RVD), D-dimer, and white blood cell levels, and a significant increase in blood oxygen saturation. These findings suggest that early prevention and intervention based on these risk factors can effectively reduce the incidence of PE in northern Shaanxi.