Risk of Recurrence After Withdrawal of Anticoagulation in Patients With Unprovoked Venous Thromboembolism: External Validation of the Vienna Nomogram and the Dash Prediction Score

Abstract

IntroductionScales for predicting venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence are useful for deciding the duration of the anticoagulant treatment. Although there are several scales, the most appropriate for our setting has not been identified. For this reason, we aimed to validate the DASH prediction score and the Vienna nomogram at 12 months. MethodsThis was a retrospective study of unselected consecutive VTE patients seen between 2006 and 2014. We compared the ability of the DASH score and the Vienna nomogram to predict recurrences of VTE. The validation was performed by stratifying patients as low-risk or high-risk, according to each scale (discrimination) and comparing the observed recurrence with the expected rate (calibration). ResultsOf 353 patients evaluated, 195 were analyzed, with an average age of 53.5±19 years. There were 21 recurrences in 1 year (10.8%, 95% CI: 6.8%–16%). According to the DASH score, 42% were classified as low risk, and the rate of VTE recurrence in this group was 4.9% (95% CI: 1.3%–12%) vs. the high-risk group that was 15% (95% CI: 9%–23%) (P<.05). According to the Vienna nomogram, 30% were classified as low risk, and the rate of VTE recurrence in the low risk group vs. the high risk group was 4.2% (95% CI: 0.5%–14%) vs. 16.2% (95% CI: 9.9%–24.4%) (P<.05). ConclusionsOur study validates the DASH score and the Vienna nomogram in our population. The DASH prediction score may be the most advisable, both because of its simplicity and its ability to identify more low-risk patients than the Vienna nomogram (42% vs. 30%).