Guidelines For Treatment Of Venous Thromboembolism Research Articles

Improvement of thrombosis management in patients with cancer: a practical consensus document of recommendations for cancer-associated thrombosis patients' healthcare in Spain.

Cancer patients are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), its recurrence, but also at risk of bleeding while anticoagulated. In addition, cancer therapies have been associated to increased VTE risk. Guidelines for VTE treatment in cancer patients recommend low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) or direct oral anticoagulants (DOAC) for the initial treatment, DOAC for VTE short-term treatment, and LMWH or DOAC for VTE long-term treatment. This consensus article arises from a collaboration between different Spanish experts on cancer-associated thrombosis. It aims to reach an agreement on a practical document of recommendations for action allowing the healthcare homogenization of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) patients in Spain considering not only what is known about VTE management in cancer patients but also what is done in Spanish hospitals in the clinical practice. The text summarizes the current knowledge and available evidence on the subject in Spain and provides a series of practical recommendations for CAT management and treatment algorithms to help clinicians to manage CAT over time.

Epidemiology and Treatment Patterns of Venous Thromboembolism: an Observational Study of Nationwide Time-Series Trends in Japan.

Previous studies on anticoagulation treatment trends have mostly focused on hospitalized patients. This study aimed to clarify the treatment status of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Japan from 2011 to 2018, including outpatients, and to assess adherence with current guidelines. Data of inpatients and outpatients who were treated for VTE were extracted from a nationwide claims database (Medical Data Vision Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) and analyzed. The study included 79,330 patients with VTE; half were diagnosed during hospitalization for diseases other than VTE. The proportion of outpatient treatment increased significantly from 2015 to 2018 (Cochran-Armitage trend test, P < 0.0001), while 80% were anticoagulated in hospital after pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosis. The proportion of patients with VTE treated as outpatients was no lower than the proportion of inpatients, even in the presence of active cancer, and there were no clear differences in anticoagulant choices. Treatment with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) did not always include the recommended initial intensification therapy. There was wide variation in the duration of DOAC treatment and the median duration of use was shorter than that recommended in VTE treatment guidelines. While the gradual increase in VTE outpatient treatment appears to be in line with guideline recommendations, PE outpatient treatment could be further facilitated. The large proportion of patients diagnosed with VTE during hospitalization for other conditions suggests the importance of further utilizing in-hospital manuals for thrombosis prevention. The presence or absence of cancer did not appear to affect the basic treatment strategy of anticoagulation for VTE. Future studies are expected to better define the characteristics of patients who can be safely and effectively treated in an outpatient setting, and to examine whether anticoagulation for a shorter treatment period than recommended by the guidelines or DOAC therapy without initial intensification would improve patient outcomes.

Discordance between Treatment Guideline Recommendations and Real-World Practice in a Group of Large Integrated Delivery Networks for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Patients: A Closer Look at VTE Patients with Cancer

Background: For patients with VTE, current American Society of Hematology (ASH) guideline panel suggests using direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) over vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) where VKAs are required to be bridged with a parenteral anticoagulant (PAC). For patients with VTE and cancer, current guidelines recommend DOACs over low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and LMWH over unfractionated heparin (heparin) for the initial treatment of VTE. Limited evidence is available about the patterns of anticoagulant treatment for VTE in routine clinical practice of large healthcare delivery networks in the United States (US) and whether the VTE treatments are aligned with current guidelines. This study aimed to assess real-world anticoagulant treatment patterns among VTE patients using harmonized electronic health record (EHR) data from four Integrated Delivery Networks (IDNs) in the US.Methods: This was a retrospective, longitudinal, multicenter, cohort study using harmonized EHR data from both inpatient and outpatient settings. The study population included adult patients prescribed DOACs, warfarin, and/or PAC therapy as inpatient or outpatient treatment within ≤30 days of VTE diagnosis, between June 2015 through May 2018. Data from the four IDNs was pooled to describe demographic characteristics and treatment patterns among VTE patients overall and by subgroups.Results: A total of 10,527 patients who were treated with OACs after VTE diagnosis were included for analysis. The mean (SD) age was 61.9 (5.98) years, with 46.1% aged 65 or older. More than half (53.2%) were female, and White patients comprised the majority (74.4%), followed by African American patients (22.8%). Obese and morbidly obese patients comprised 39.1% and 16.1% of patients, respectively. Among all VTE patients, warfarin-only (n=3545; 33.7%) was the most commonly used OAC treatment, followed by warfarin + PAC (n=3128; 29.7%), rivaroxaban-only (n=1357; 12.9%), rivaroxaban + PAC (n=853; 8.1%), apixaban + PAC (n=839; 8.0%), apixaban-only (n=762; 7.2%), and Other OAC (n=357; 3.4%) (Table 1). When stratifying VTE patients by age, gender, race and BMI, some variations in OAC treatment were observed. Among both older (≥65 years) and younger (<65 years) patients, warfarin-only was most commonly used, then warfarin + PAC. Warfarin-only was more commonly used among obese (36.3%) and morbidly obese (40.4%) patients than non-obese (29.8%) patients. OAC treatment patterns were generally comparable among men and women. Among White patients, approximately equal proportions of patients received warfarin + PAC (31.9%) and warfarin-only (31.0%). However, among African-American patients, a higher proportion of patients used warfarin-only (40.9%) vs. warfarin + PAC (24.5%).Patterns of anticoagulant treatments including OACs and/or parental anticoagulants among VTE patients with cancer were further analyzed (Figure 1). Among VTE patients with cancer (n=3657), heparin had the highest use (26.7%), then enoxaparin (22.7%); approximately the same proportion of cancer patients received warfarin-only (16.0%) and warfarin + PAC (16.9%). Of DOACs, rivaroxaban-only was the most commonly used treatment (4.9%), then apixaban + PAC (3.5%), and lastly, rivaroxaban + PAC (3.4%) among cancer patients.Conclusion: Current VTE treatment guidelines recommend warfarin to be bridged with PAC, however, warfarin-only therapy remained the most used treatment option followed by warfarin + PAC. While rivaroxaban and apixaban are not required to be bridged with PAC, such practices were observed for a large proportion of apixaban- and rivaroxaban-treated VTE patients. VTE treatment among patients with cancer was not completely aligned with current guidelines, as heparin was more commonly used than LMWH (enoxaparin). Our findings suggest greater efforts are needed to improve anticoagulant treatment practices among VTE patients. [Display omitted] DisclosuresDhamane: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Rosenblatt: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Jiang: Bristol Myers Squibb: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company. Guo: Bristol Myers Squibb: Ended employment in the past 24 months. Dorsch: Agency for Health Research and Quality: Research Funding; National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Aging: Research Funding; American Health Association Health IT Research Network: Research Funding; Janssen Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria; Bristol Myers Squibb/Pfizer: Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding. Luo: Pfizer Inc: Current Employment, Current equity holder in publicly-traded company.

Current Recommendations for the Management of Cancer-Associated Venous Thromboembolism

Abstract Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is a major cause of death in oncological patients. The mechanisms of thrombogenesis in cancer patients are not fully established, and it seems to be multifactorial in origin. Also, several risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) are present in these patients such as tumor site, stage, histology of cancer, chemotherapy, surgery, and immobilization. Anticoagulant treatment in CAT is challenging because of high bleeding risk during treatment and recurrence of VTE. Current major guidelines recommend low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) for early and long-term treatment of VTE in cancer patients. In the past years, direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are recommended as potential treatment option for VTE and have recently been proposed as a new option for treating CAT. This manuscript will give a short overview of risk factors involved in the development of CAT and a summary on the recent recommendations and guidelines for treatment of VTE in patients with malignancies, discussing also some special clinical situations (e.g. renal impairment, catheter-related thrombosis, and thrombocytopenia).

Venous Thromboembolism in Pediatrics.

1. Jamie Shoag, MD*,† 2. Joanna A. Davis, MD†‡ 3. Fernando F. Corrales-Medina, MD*†‡ 1. *Holtz Children’s Hospital, Jackson Memorial Medical Center, Miami, FL 2. †Division of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, University of Miami–Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL 3. ‡University of Miami - Hemophilia Treatment Center, Miami, FL * Abbreviations: aPC: : activated protein C aPTT: : activated partial thromboplastin time ATIII: : antithrombin III CVC: : central-access vascular catheter DOAC: : direct oral anticoagulant DTI: : direct thrombin inhibitor DUS: : Doppler ultrasonography DVT: : deep venous thrombosis FDA: : Food and Drug Administration FVL: : factor V Leiden FXa: : activated coagulation factor Xa HIT: : heparin-induced thrombocytopenia LMWH: : low-molecular-weight heparin MRV: : magnetic resonance venography MTHFR: : methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase PE: : pulmonary embolism PF4: : platelet factor 4 VKA: : vitamin K antagonist VTE: : venous thromboembolism The increasing rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children mandate a need for pediatricians, especially those who are hospital based, to be fully aware of the common signs and symptoms of VTE, the current management guidelines for VTE acute treatment and prophylaxis, and the role of emerging oral anticoagulant therapies. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Describe the pathophysiology of pediatric venous thromboembolism (VTE). 2. Identify patients at risk for VTE. 3. Identify the clinical signs and symptoms associated with acute VTE. 4. Understand the indications for radiologic and laboratory testing for diagnosing and treating an acute VTE. 5. Describe the clinical management using standardized VTE anticoagulant therapies. 6. Become familiar with the emerging direct oral anticoagulant therapies. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which encompasses both deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), has become an increasingly recognized condition in pediatrics. There is now an overall awareness by pediatricians of the reality that VTE is no longer considered to be a medical problem exclusive to the adult population. (1) Unfortunately, there is a paucity of strong clinical data to guide the management of VTE in children. To date there are 2 expert opinion VTE treatment guidelines developed for pediatric patients. (2)(3) Current VTE treatment recommendations rely on observational experience and extrapolated data from adult practice. (4)(5) Ongoing multicenter clinical trials are currently seeking answers to improve VTE management strategies in children. (6) The cause of the rising prevalence of diagnosed VTE in children is multifactorial. This is related to an increased presence of VTE-predisposing risk factors in pediatric patients, improved survival rates in infants and children with chronic medical conditions, and improved diagnostic tools used by providers. Pediatric VTE occurs in a bimodal distribution, most commonly encountered in neonates and adolescents. (4) Although VTE in the …

Assessment of provider practices regarding venous thromboembolism management and prevention in pediatric acute leukemia patients.

Despite the known occurrence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the pediatric oncology population, there are no leukemia-specific VTE treatment guidelines. The primary objective of this study was to assess current practices regarding the management and prevention of VTE in the pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) population. We performed a cross sectional, anonymous, electronic survey of members of the American Society of Hematology and the pediatric subcommittee of VENUS (VTE Network US of the Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research Society). Survey items included questions on demographics and clinical practice. Of 870 surveys distributed, 154 were submitted, giving a 17.7% response rate. Treatment duration, re-imaging timeline, and class of anticoagulants used were reported for catheter-associated deep vein thrombus, pulmonary embolism, and cerebral venous sinus thrombosis. While there are some common themes regarding VTE management, there is notable variation in the overall practice as well as with the decision to continue anticoagulation in the presence of thrombocytopenia. Given the variation seen, a multi-center, prospective clinical trial is urgently needed for developing consensus guidelines for the management of VTE in children with ALL.

Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism in Elite Athletes: A Suggested Approach to Individualized Anticoagulation.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of morbidity with potentially detrimental career consequences in elite athletes. Their unique predisposing factors entail a higher-than-expected VTE incidence. Anticoagulation treatment is challenging, especially among those athletes wishing to resume their competitive activities. The authors review the current VTE treatment guidelines from the perspective of treating elite athletes. They then provide an expert opinion individualized treatment approach based on the pharmacokinetic properties of direct oral anticoagulants that permits tailoring the drug's timing to the athlete's competitive endeavors. They also present low-molecular-weight heparin as an alternative. The proposed risk management approach allows mitigation against VTE recurrence, reducing the chance of major bleeding, and honoring the athlete's self-determination to resume their career while accepting the risks involved. A shared decision making with the athlete and his/her team along with the presence of adequate resources are key components. Ultimately, the authors hope this work will serve as a stepping stone to validated VTE treatment regimens that consider the particularities of elite athletes.

Management of venous thromboembolism in cancer patients according to guidelines after educative measures

Guidelines for venous thromboembolism treatment with curative anticoagulation in cancer patients are poorly respected. Yet, venous thromboembolism is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients, after cancer progression. The aim of this study was to re-evaluate the application of these guidelines after the implementation of educational measures for patients and caregivers, and also to assess the acceptability and tolerance of treatment by patients. On the one hand, a prospective observational study conducted in cancer patients with VTE allowed to assess the rate of compliance to guidelines. These phone calls with patients also provided information on their perception of their treatment. On the other hand, surveys were sent to healthcare professionals before and after educative actions took place (information meetings and information sheets distribution) in order to evaluate the evolution of their knowledge about guidelines. Among the 110 patients included in the study, 71.8% received treatment according to guidelines: choice of the anticoagulant (low-molecular-weight heparin or antivitamin K if contraindicated) and right period of treatment. Among the patients, 84.1% were willing to continue treatment beyond 6 months. Healthcare professionals' knowledge about guidelines has increased significantly (from 20% to 42%) following the information meetings and information sheets distribution. These educative actions seem to have a positive impact on knowledge of the recommendations and their implementation.

Clinical Outcomes and Adherence to Guideline Recommendations During the Initial Treatment of Acute Venous Thromboembolism

Adherence to American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST) guidelines for treatment of acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) has not been formally assessed in the United States, specifically in the subset of patients with renal impairment. Evaluate adherence to CHEST VTE treatment guidelines. This retrospective cohort study evaluated patients with acute VTE between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2011, for the primary outcome of adherence to CHEST VTE treatment guidelines defined as (1) patients receiving an appropriate parenteral anticoagulant and dose based on renal function and weight, (2) at least 5 days of parenteral anticoagulation during warfarin initiation, and (3) an international normalized ratio (INR) value ≥2 documented before discontinuing parenteral agents. Secondary outcomes included recurrent thromboembolism and major bleeding across renal function categories. Of the 1683 patients included in the final analysis, 1483 (88%) had complete data for all 3 elements of the primary outcome (dose, overlap duration, and INR ≥2.0). VTE guideline adherence was identified in 95% (1408/1483) of these patients. There were 20 major bleeds overall, which occurred in 1.1%, 1.1%, and 1.3% in patients with CrCl <30 mL/min, 30 to 59 mL/min, and ≥60 mL/min, respectively (P = 0.929). Also, 7 recurrent VTE events occurred-3 in patients with CrCl values of 30 to 59 mL/min (0.5%) and 4 in patients with CrCl ≥60 mL/min (0.4%; P = 0.797 across groups). Adherence to CHEST guidelines was high and resulted in low rates of bleeding and recurrent VTE complications across renal function categories. Further studies of patients with CrCl <30 mL/min are needed.

Management and adherence to VTE treatment guidelines in a national prospective cohort study in the Canadian outpatient setting

Documenting patterns and outcomes of venous thromboembolism (VTE) management and degree of adherence by clinicians to treatment guidelines could help identify remediable gaps in patient care. Prospective, clinical practice-based data from Canadian outpatient settings on management of VTE, degree of adherence with treatment guidelines and frequency of recurrent VTE and bleeding during follow-up was obtained in a multicentre, prospective observational study. From 12 Canadian centres, we assessed 868 outpatients with acute symptomatic VTE who received the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) enoxaparin alone or with vitamin K antagonists (VKA), at baseline and at six months (or at the end of treatment, whichever came first). Index VTE was limb deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in 583 (67.2%) patients, pulmonary embolism (PE) with or without DVT in 262 (30.2%) patients, and unusual site DVT in 23 (2.6%) patients. VTE was unprovoked in 399 (46.0%) patients, associated with cancer in 74 (8.5%) patients, transient risk factors in 327 (37.7%) patients and hormonal factors in 68 (7.8%) patients.With regard to guideline adherence, 58 (7.3%) patients received <5 days LMWH and 114 (14.5%) had overlap <1 day. Among patients with cancer-related VTE, 59.5% were prescribed LMWH monotherapy and 43.2% received such treatment for >3 months. Only 38.1% of patients with transient VTE risk factors had received thromboprophylaxis. Our study provides useful information on clinical presentation, management and related outcomes in Canadian outpatients with VTE. Our results suggest there may be important gaps in use of thromboprophylaxis to prevent VTE and use of LMWH monotherapy to treat cancer-related VTE.

Patterns of Management and Adherence to Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Treatment Guidelines In a National Prospective Cohort Study of VTE Management In the Canadian Outpatient Setting: Recovery Study

AbstractAbstract 565 Introduction:Little is known about patterns and quality of venous thromboembolism (VTE) management in Canadian outpatient settings, including how closely clinicians adhere to evidence based treatment guidelines. Such information could help identify gaps in patient care requiring attention. Objectives:To obtain prospective, clinical practice-based data from Canadian outpatient settings on 1) management of VTE; 2) determinants of patterns of VTE management; 3) degree of adherence with ACCP 2008 VTE treatment guidelines; and 4) frequency of bleeding and recurrent VTE during follow-up. Methods:We performed a multi-centre prospective observational study to evaluate physician practice patterns and degree of adherence to ACCP consensus guidelines for VTE treatment. From 2007–2010, we enrolled 915 consecutive patients with objectively confirmed acute symptomatic VTE who received treatment with the low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) enoxaparin alone or with warfarin in the outpatient setting (mainly thrombosis clinics) in 12 Canadian centers. Patients attended an enrolment visit, where data on demographics, site(s) of VTE, VTE risk factors, bleeding risk factors, creatinine clearance and initial treatment were recorded. A follow-up visit occurred when anticoagulant treatment was stopped or at 6 months, whichever occurred first. Indicators of adherence to VTE treatment guidelines included: (1) having received any thromboprophylaxis for VTE associated with transient risk factors (recent medical admission, major surgery or leg immobilization); (2) use of LMWH monotherapy to treat cancer-associated VTE; (3) at least 5 days median duration of LMWH in patients treated with initial LMWH overlapped with warfarin; (4) at least 1 day overlap of LMWH and warfarin once INR was therapeutic. Recurrent VTE, bleeding and adverse events were recorded throughout study follow-up. Results:At the time of abstract submission, end of study data were available for 747 of 915 enrolled patients. Average age was 56 years, 54% were male and mean body mass index was 28.3 kg/m2. Index VTE was lower or upper extremity deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in 511 (68.4%) patients, pulmonary embolism (PE) with or without DVT in 218 (29.2%) patients, and unusual site DVT in 18 (2.4%) patients. VTE was associated with cancer in 70 (9.4%) patients, transient risk factors in 289 (38.7%) patients, hormonal risk factors in 55 (7.4%) patients and was deemed unprovoked in 331 (44.3%) patients. Overall, enoxaparin was prescribed at a dose/frequency of 1.5 mg/kg QD in 85.4% of patients, 1.0 mg/kg BID in 14.6% of patients and 1.0 mg/kg QD for one patient who had creatinine clearance <30ml/min. Among patients with VTE risk factors such as recent medical admission, recent surgery or paralysis, only 37.3% had been prescribed thromboprophylaxis. Among patients with cancer-related VTE (n=70), 61.4% were prescribed LMWH monotherapy, a majority received 1.5 mg/kg once daily, and 42.9% received such treatment for >3 months. Among patients treated with initial LMWH overlapped with warfarin (n= 667; 89.3%), median duration of LMWH was 8 days (IQR 6–10 days), median duration of warfarin was 182 days (IQR 115–190) and median overlap with LMWH once INR was therapeutic was 1 day (IQR 1–2 days). However, 48 (7.2%) patients received <5 days LMWH and 99 (15%) patients had overlap <1 day. During follow-up, 16 (2.1%) patients had recurrent VTE, at a median of 71 days follow-up; rate of recurrent VTE was highest (8.6%) and occurred earliest (median, 49 days) in cancer patients. Major bleeding events (primarily GI or GU) occurred in 10 (1.3%) patients at a median of 23 days; at the time of bleed, 2 patients were receiving LMWH alone, 3 patients, LMWH and warfarin, and 5 patients, warfarin alone. Conclusions:Our study provides useful information on clinical features of patients, management of VTE and rates of recurrence and bleeding in Canadian outpatients. Our results suggest that there are important gaps in (1) use of thromboprophylaxis to prevent VTE and (2) use of LMWH monotherapy to treat VTE in cancer patients. Conversely, in patients treated with combination LMWH/warfarin therapy, adherence to recommendations regarding minimum duration of LMWH and minimum overlap of LMWH and warfarin once INR was therapeutic was quite good. Disclosures:Kahn:Sigvaris: Research Funding; sanofi-aventis: Advisory Board, Research Funding; Boehringer Ingelheim:. Schulman:Sanofi Aventis: Honoraria.

Frequency of “Special Population” Characteristics among Venous Thromboembolism Patients in Clinical Practice: Implications for Anticoagulant Therapy.

Background: Consensus guidelines recommend the use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), dosed by patient weight, over unfractionated heparin (UFH) as first-line therapy for the initial treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and as monotherapy for the long-term treatment of cancer-related VTE. However, caution is advised for certain “special populations”: in patients with renal impairment or in the elderly, weight-based dosing may be excessive, while capping the dose in obese patients as recommended by some LMWH manufacturers may lead to inadequate dosing.Objectives: We evaluated the frequency of characteristics such as renal impairment, advanced age, obesity and cancer among patients diagnosed with VTE in clinical practice, and assessed the impact of these characteristics on type and dose of medication prescribed to treat VTE.Methods: Medical records, thrombosis clinic charts and vascular lab reports from April 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005 were systematically searched to identify consecutive patients with objectively diagnosed VTE at 2 large university-affiliated hospitals in Canada. Trained research assistants abstracted patient records using study-specific case report forms. Data on age, sex, serum creatinine at time of VTE diagnosis, weight, presence of active cancer, type of VTE event, treatment initiated and dose of LMWH were recorded. Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was calculated using the Cockcroft Gault formula. Proportions of patients with renal impairment, advanced age, obesity and cancer were calculated. Type of treatment and appropriateness of LMWH dosing in various patient subgroups were determined.Results: 524 patients (Montreal 293; London 231) with VTE were identified, of whom 19% had PE and 81% had DVT. The average age was 62 years, with 31% of patients >75 years and 18% patients > 80 years. Overall, treatment initiated was LMWH and warfarin (71%), LMWH monotherapy (13%), UFH and warfarin (4%), IVC filter alone (4%) and other (8%). Moderate renal impairment (CrCl 30–50 ml/min) was present in 11% of patients and severe renal impairment (CrCl <30 ml/min) in 5%; only 58% of patients had normal renal function (CrCl >80 ml/min). Although mean CrCl was lower in patients who received UFH vs. LMWH (64 vs. 96 ml/min, p=0.003), an anticoagulant regimen that included LMWH was administered to 67% of patients with severe renal impairment and 83% of patients with moderate renal impairment. Body weight was >100 kg in 15% of patients. Underdosing of LMWH by 10% or more was documented in 36% of patients >100 kg compared with 8% of patients < 100 kg (p<0.001). Active cancer was present in 26% of patients. Patients with active cancer were more likely to be treated with LMWH monotherapy that those without cancer (32% vs. 7%, p<0.001).Conclusions: In clinical practice, renal impairment, advanced age, obesity and cancer are frequently present in patients with VTE. A significant proportion of patients with these features did not receive recommended type or dose of medication to treat VTE. Further research should address ways to improve implementation of VTE treatment guidelines into day-to-day clinical practice.

Treatment of venous thromboembolism: Adherence to guidelines and impact of physician knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs

To assess the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized patients enrolled in a national, multicenter database. This was a retrospective, cohort study that randomly selected VTE patients from 38 academic/teaching, community, and Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals. The study included a physician survey component. The patients selected were those treated between January 2002 and June 2003 who had an ICD-9-CM code for pulmonary embolus (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or pregnancy-related PE or DVT. The study included 939 patients: 52.7% with DVT, 28.4% with PE, and 18.8% with PE and DVT. Mean age was 59.5 years. Risk factors included obesity (body mass index > 30) in 30.1%, history of VTE in 28.0%, malignancy in 27.4%, surgery in 21.1%, and immobility in 18.5%. Only 56.1% of patients were treated with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). Bridging from LMWH or unfractionated heparin (UFH) to warfarin was completed during hospitalization in 486 (68.6%), but only 246 (50.6%) had an international normalized ratio (INR) > or = 2 for 48 hours before discontinuation of the injectable anticoagulant. Length of stay in patients discharged on bridge therapy was 4.0 +/- 3.7 days vs 8.1 +/- 5.8 days for patients discharged on warfarin therapy (P < .001). Ninety-two (10.1%) patients were discharged with neither oral nor injectable anticoagulation and had a mean duration of treatment of only 10.6 +/- 16.2 days. Of 245 physicians surveyed from participating hospitals, 84% and 53%, respectively, indicated that LMWH was their preferred agent for treatment of DVT and treatment of PE. With regard to warfarin, 30% did not believe it was necessary to have a therapeutic INR for > or = 2 days before discontinuing LMWH or UFH, and 27% responded that it was necessary to keep DVT patients in the hospital until they were therapeutic. In this cross-section of United States hospitals, lower than anticipated use of LMWH, insufficient bridging from UFH or LMWH to warfarin, and continuation of anticoagulation after hospitalization were all problems discovered with the treatment of VTE. Physician knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs are partially responsible for the gap between actual practice and international guidelines. These results suggest that hospitals should evaluate their adherence to international VTE treatment guidelines and develop strategies to optimize antithrombotic therapy.