Post-discharge Venous Thromboembolism Research Articles

Don't Fear the Bleed: Assessing Postoperative Bleeding Incidence After Instituting a Standardized Prophylactic Heparin Protocol in Bariatric Patients.

Background: Bariatric surgery is a frequently performed procedure in the United States, accounting for ∼40,000 procedures annually. Patients undergoing bariatric surgery are at high risk for postoperative thrombosis, with a venous thromboembolism (VTE) rate of up to 6.4%. Despite this risk, there is a lack of guidelines recommending postoperative VTE prophylaxis and it is not routine practice at most hospitals. The postoperative bleeding rate after bariatric surgery is only 1.5%; however, the risk of bleeding may lead to hesitancy for more liberal VTE prophylaxis. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis of bariatric surgeries at a single institution in 2019 and 2021. Data were obtained from the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP) and electronic medical record review for all patients undergoing sleeve gastrectomy (SG), Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB), or conversion to RYGB. The primary outcomes were composite bleeding events, which included postoperative transfusion, postoperative endoscopy or return to operating room (OR) (for bleeding), intra-abdominal hematoma, gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, or incisional hematoma. Results: There were a total of 2067 patients in the cohort, with 1043 surgeries in 2019 and 1024 surgeries in 2021. There was no difference between bleeding events after instituting a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis protocol in 2021 (27 versus 28 events, P = .76). There was no difference in individual bleeding events between 2019 and 2021. Additionally, there was no significant difference in the rate of VTE between 2019 and 2021 (2 versus 5 events, P = .28). Conclusions: After instituting a standard protocol of prophylactic heparin postdischarge, we did not find an increased rate of bleeding events in patients undergoing bariatric surgery. Thus, surgeons can consider prescribing postdischarge chemical VTE prophylaxis without concern for bleeding.

80 Venous thromboembolism diagnosis definition in claims data: implications for research

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Due to its relatively low incidence, prospective studies are limited. This makes administrative claims a promising data source to study VTE. We sought to examine the reproducibility of results using different VTE definitions from the published literature. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: We conducted a retrospective analysis of a random 10% sample of the 2010-2022 IQVIA LifeLink PharMetrics Plus™ database, an administrative claims database representative of the commercially insured population of the United States. We selected cancer patients undergoing major gastrointestinal surgery, who have a higher risk for postoperative VTE (deep venous thrombosis [DVT] and/or pulmonary embolism [PE]). VTE was defined using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM codes using definitions from 4 individual published studies. We compared the 4 definitions with respect to the incidence of VTE and factors associated with post-discharge VTE using standard univariate and multivariable logistic regression models. The same logistic regression models were used for each of the 4 definitions. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: There were substantial differences in VTE coding among the 4 definitions (range 107 to 225 ICD-9/10 codes for DVT and 12 to 24 codes for PE). The eligible population comprised 2,360 patients (49% female) with a median age of 49 years (interquartile range 47-52 years). During the index surgery hospitalization, a total of 58, 62, 63, and 83 patients developed VTE using the 4 definitions. In the 2,126 patients eligible for VTE prophylaxis, a total of 108, 68, 73, and 107 patients developed post-discharge VTE (range for DVT 35 to 81, range for PE 39 to 76). On multivariable analysis, factors independently associated with VTE included age using 1 of 4 definitions, esophageal surgery type using 3 of 4 definitions, and liver surgery type and Elixhauser score using all 4 definitions. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The incidence of VTE is directly affected by differences in ICD-9/10 codes used. Definitions for important clinical outcomes should be standardized when using administrative claims data in order to improve reproducibility of findings.

466 Development of Machine Learning Algorithms to Predict Symptomatic VTE at Time of Admission and Time of Discharge after Severe Traumatic Injury

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Clinical indicators predictive of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in trauma patients at multiple time points are not well outlined, particularly at time of discharge. We aimed to describe and predict inpatient and post-discharge risk factors of VTE after trauma using a multi-variate regression model and best of class machine learning (ML) models. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: In a prospective, case-cohort study, all trauma patients (pts) who arrived as level 1 or 2 trauma activations, from June 2018 to February 2020 were considered for study inclusion. A subset of pts who developed incident, first time, VTE and those who did not develop VTE within 90 days of discharge were identified. VTE were confirmed either by imaging or at autopsy during inpatient stay or post-discharge. Outcomes were defined as the development of symptomatic VTE (DVT and/or PE) within 90 days of discharge.A multi-variate Cox regression model and a best in class of a set of 5 different ML models (support-vector machine, random-forest, naives Bayes, logistic regression, neural network]) were used to predict VTE using models applied a) at 24 hours of injury date or b) on day of patient discharge. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Among 393 trauma pts (ISS=12.0, hospital LOS=4.0 days, age=48 years, 71% male, 96% with blunt mechanism, mortality 2.8%), 36 developed inpatient VTE and 36 developed VTE after discharge. In a weighted, multivariate Cox model, any type of surgery by day 1, increased age per 10 years, and BMI per 5 points were predictors of overall symptomatic VTE (C-stat 0.738). Prophylactic IVC filter placement (4.40), increased patient age per 10 years, and BMI per 5 points were predictors of post-discharge symptomatic VTE (C-stat= 0.698). A neural network ML model predicted VTE by day 1 with accuracy and AUC of 0.82 and 0.76, with performance exceeding those of a Cox model. A naīve Bayesian ML model predicted VTE at discharge, with accuracy and AUC of 0.81 and 0.77 at time of discharge, with performance exceeding those of a Cox model. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The rate of inpatient and post-discharge VTEs remain high. Limitations: single institution study, limited number of patients, internal validation only, with the use of limited number of ML models. We developed and internally validated a ML based tool.Future work will focus on external validation and expansion of ML techniques.

American Association for the Surgery of Trauma/American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma clinical protocol for postdischarge venous thromboembolism prophylaxis after trauma.

Trauma patients are at an elevated risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), which includes pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. In the inpatient setting, prompt pharmacologic prophylaxis is utilized to prevent VTE. For patients with lower extremity fractures or limited mobility, VTE risk does not return to baseline levels postdischarge. Currently, there are limited data to guide postdischarge VTE prophylaxis in trauma patients. The goal of these postdischarge VTE prophylaxis guidelines are to identify patients at the highest risk of developing VTE after discharge and to offer pharmacologic prophylaxis strategies to limit this risk.

Venous Thromboembolism in Total Hip and Total Knee Arthroplasty

The optimal pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis agent after total hip and total knee arthroplasty is uncertain and consensus is lacking. Quantifying the risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) and bleeding and evaluating comparative effectiveness and safety of the thromboprophylaxis strategies can inform care. To quantify risk factors for postoperative VTE and bleeding and compare patient outcomes among pharmacological thromboprophylaxis agents used after total hip and knee arthroplasty. This retrospective cohort study used data from a large health care claims database. Participants included patients in the United States with hip or knee arthroplasty and continuous insurance enrollment 3 months prior to and following their surgical procedure. Patients were excluded if they received anticoagulation before surgery, received no postsurgical pharmacological thromboprophylaxis, or had multiple postsurgery thromboprophylactic agents. In a propensity-matched analysis, patients receiving a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) were matched with those receiving aspirin. Aspirin, apixaban, rivaroxaban, enoxaparin, or warfarin. The primary outcome was 30-day cumulative incidence of postdischarge VTE. Other outcomes included postdischarge bleeding. Among 29 264 patients included in the final cohort, 17 040 (58.2%) were female, 27 897 (95.2%) had inpatient admissions with median (IQR) length of stay of 2 (1-2) days, 10 948 (37.4%) underwent total hip arthroplasty, 18 316 (62.6%) underwent total knee arthroplasty; and median (IQR) age was 59 (55-63) years. At 30 days, cumulative incidence of VTE was 1.19% (95% CI, 1.06%-1.32%) and cumulative incidence of bleeding was 3.43% (95% CI, 3.22%-3.64%). In the multivariate analysis, leading risk factors associated with increased VTE risk included prior VTE history (odds ratio [OR], 5.94 [95% CI, 4.29-8.24]), a hereditary hypercoagulable state (OR, 2.64 [95% CI, 1.32-5.28]), knee arthroplasty (OR, 1.65 [95% CI, 1.29-2.10]), and male sex (OR, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.08-1.67]). In a propensity-matched cohort of 7844 DOAC-aspirin pairs, there was no significant difference in the risk of VTE in the first 30 days after the surgical procedure (OR, 1.14 [95% CI, 0.82-1.59]), but postoperative bleeding was more frequent in patients receiving DOACs (OR, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.13-1.62]). In this cohort study of patients who underwent total hip or total knee arthroplasty, underlying patient risk factors, but not choice of aspirin or DOAC, were associated with postsurgical VTE. Postoperative bleeding rates were lower in patients prescribed aspirin. These results suggest that thromboprophylaxis strategies should be patient-centric and tailored to individual risk of thrombosis and bleeding.

Thrombosis Rates and Use of Thromboprophylaxis after Discharge from Gynecologic Cancer-Related Surgery

Background: Cancer and major abdominopelvic surgeries pose significant thrombosis risks, making cancer-related surgery highly susceptible to venous thromboembolism (VTE) despite prophylaxis. Without post-operative thromboprophylaxis (TPX), VTE risk can reach 29% in the weeks following major surgeries. National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines recommend anticoagulation for up to 4 weeks after such surgeries, primarily using low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for 28 days postoperatively. This study aimed to determine VTE rates linked to various gynecologic cancer-related surgeries and explore TPX utilization in a large cancer-center cohort. Additionally, we sought to further understand the necessity for post-discharge TPX in this setting. Methods: Patients (pts) diagnosed with gynecologic cancer between January 1st, 2012, through September 15th, 2022, at our institution were identified through our tumor registry. Using an in-house automated text search tool from our electronic medical record (Epic®), combined with natural language processing review, venous thromboembolism (VTE) events were identified, with secondary adjudication by the study leader (GAS). VTE was defined as either lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or pulmonary embolism (PE) diagnosed from the day of surgery until 90 days after the first day of surgery. Logistic regression was performed on binary outcomes for the presence of VTE and TPX use at discharge. Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox regression were used for overall survival analysis. Results: 801 pts who underwent gynecologic cancer-related surgeries were identified. Patient demographics and surgery types are described in Table 1. VTE occurred in 1.9% (n=15) of the overall population but was unequally distributed. The number of VTE in those undergoing minimally invasive surgery (MIS), vulvovaginal surgery, and biopsies collectively was low (0.57%, n=3), even when considering that only 11.1% of those pts received TPX at discharge. VTE was more commonly diagnosed in patients who underwent open surgery (4.3%, n=12), with 5 pts (1.8%) diagnosed before discharge and 7 pts (2.5%) after discharge. In multivariable logistic regression analysis, during the full study period, open procedures were associated with a higher risk of thrombosis, (relative risk 7.5, p < 0.001) and higher use of post-discharge TBX (RR 4.55, p < 0.001). Notably, only 50% (139 of 279) of pts who underwent open surgery received TPX at the time of discharge. Within the open surgery cohort, the rate of post-discharge VTE correlated with the use of post-discharge TPX. Of pts on TPX, 0.7% (n=1) were diagnosed with VTE compared to 4.3% (n=6) of pts who did not receive TPX (RR=0.17, p= 0.12). There was no difference in overall survival in pts who received TPX and those who did not after open surgery up to 36 months after the surgery. Conclusions: Our findings suggest a tiered risk of post-operative VTE after gynecologic cancer surgery, with a clinically relevant risk observed only in women undergoing open surgery. Our gynecologic oncology practice already reflects this, as post-operative TPX is not routinely prescribed for lower-risk procedures. In patients who underwent open surgery, TPX at discharge showed a trend towards a protective effect, although this result did not reach statistical significance, probably due to sample size, it supports the need for a targeted prospective study. If this trend towards benefit holds in a prospective study, the number needed to treat to avoid one clinically detected post-operative VTE would be 28 pts. The relatively high fraction of post-op VTE events during the inpatient hospital stay also supports efforts for early TPX, as has been done with a prophylactic dose of pre-operative unfractionated heparin or LMWH in other high-risk cancer surgery settings (Selby et al, J Am Coll Surg. 2016). The limitations of this study include being conducted at a single institution, retrospective and non-randomized.

Post-discharge venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in hospitalized trauma patients: A retrospective comparison of patients receiving versus not receiving post-discharge prophylaxis

BackgroundRisk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in many trauma patients extends beyond hospitalization, but there is a paucity of evidence to guide the use of post-discharge prophylaxis (PDP). MethodsA retrospective cohort study of trauma patients deemed moderate-to-high risk for VTE (risk assessment profile score [RAP] ≥5) who were prescribed PDP based on an internal clinical guideline assessing injury pattern and mobility status. PDP patients were compared with those that did not receive post-discharge prophylaxis (NPDP). Results1512 patients were included. PDP group had higher mean RAP score (7.3 vs. 6.4, p ​< ​0.001), more likely to have a complex orthopedic fracture and underwent a longer median hospital (4.7 vs. 2.9 days, p ​< ​0.001). No difference between groups in 90-day VTE (11 [1.5 ​%] (PDP) vs. 8 [1.0 ​%] (NPDP), p ​= ​0.50), clinically relevant bleeding (p ​= ​0.58), or readmission (p ​= ​0.46). ConclusionsVTE incidence, clinically relevant bleeding, and readmission 90-days after hospital discharge were low and similar between PDP and NPDP groups. PDP prescribed in a presumably higher VTE risk trauma population may mitigate the long-term risk of VTE.

Persistent underuse of extended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients undergoing major abdominal cancer operations.

Guidelines recommend extended venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis for high-risk populations undergoing major abdominal cancer operations. Few studies have evaluated extended VTE prophylaxis in the Medicare population who are at higher risk due to age. We performed a retrospective study using a 20% random sample of Medicare claims, 2012-2017. Patients ≥65 years with an abdominal cancer undergoing resection were included. Primary outcome was the proportion of patients receiving new extended VTE prophylaxis prescriptions at discharge. Secondary outcomes included postdischarge VTE and hemorrhagic events. The study included 72 983 patients with a mean age of 75. Overall, 8.9% of patients received extended VTE prophylaxis. This proportion increased (7.2% in 2012, 10.6% in 2017; p < 0.001). Incidence of postdischarge hemorrhagic events was 1.0% in patients receiving extended VTE prophylaxis and 0.8% in those who did not. The incidence of postdischarge VTE events was 5.2% in patients receiving extended VTE prophylaxis and 2.4% in those who did not. Adherence to guideline-recommended extended VTE prophylaxis in high-risk patients undergoing major abdominal cancer operations is low. The higher rate of VTE in the prophylaxis group may suggest we captured some therapeutic anticoagulation, which would mean the actual rate of thromboprophylaxis is lower than reported herein.

PB1467 Hospital-Acquired (HA) versus Post-Discharge (PD) Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Similarities and Differences: Analysis of the Medical Inpatient Thrombosis and Hemostasis (MITH) Population

PB1467 Hospital-Acquired (HA) versus Post-Discharge (PD) Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Similarities and Differences: Analysis of the Medical Inpatient Thrombosis and Hemostasis (MITH) Population

Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis Adherence Rates After Major Cancer Surgery

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents a major source of preventable morbidity and mortality and is a leading cause of death in the US after cancer surgery. Previous research demonstrated variability in VTE chemoprophylaxis prescribing, although it is unknown how these rates compare with performance in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). To determine VTE rates after cancer surgery, as well as rates of inpatient and outpatient (posthospital discharge) chemoprophylaxis adherence within the VHA. This retrospective cohort study within 101 hospitals of the VHA health system included patients aged 41 years or older without preexisting bleeding disorders or anticoagulation usage who underwent surgical treatment for cancer with general surgery, thoracic surgery, or urology between January 1, 2015, and December 31, 2022. The VHA Corporate Data Warehouse, Pharmacy Benefits Management database, and the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database were used to identify eligible patients. Data analysis was conducted between January 2022 and July 2023. Inpatient surgery for cancer with general surgery, thoracic surgery, or urology. Rates of postoperative VTE events within 30 days of surgery and VTE chemoprophylaxis adherence were determined. Multivariable Poisson regression was used to determine incidence-rate ratios of inpatient and postdischarge chemoprophylaxis adherence by surgical specialty. Overall, 30 039 veterans (median [IQR] age, 67 [62-71] years; 29 386 men [97.8%]; 7771 African American or Black patients [25.9%]) who underwent surgery for cancer and were at highest risk for VTE were included. The overall postoperative VTE rate was 1.3% (385 patients) with 199 patients (0.7%) receiving a diagnosis during inpatient hospitalization and 186 patients (0.6%) receiving a diagnosis postdischarge. Inpatient chemoprophylaxis was ordered for 24 139 patients (80.4%). Inpatient chemoprophylaxis ordering rates were highest for patients who underwent procedures with general surgery (10 102 of 10 301 patients [98.1%]) and lowest for patients who underwent procedures with urology (11 471 of 17 089 patients [67.1%]). Overall, 3142 patients (10.5%) received postdischarge chemoprophylaxis, with notable variation by specialty. These findings indicate the overall VTE rate after cancer surgery within the VHA is low, VHA inpatient chemoprophylaxis rates are high, and postdischarge VTE chemoprophylaxis prescribing is similar to that of non-VHA health systems. Specialty and procedure variation exists for chemoprophylaxis and may be justified given the low risks of overall and postdischarge VTE.

Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Otolaryngologic Patients Using Caprini Assessment.

The aim was to determine the utilization of Caprini guideline-indicated venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and impact on VTE and bleeding outcomes in otolaryngology (ORL) surgery patients. Elective ORL surgeries performed between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between patient characteristics and receiving appropriate prophylaxis, inpatient, 30- and 90-day VTE and bleeding events. A total of 4955 elective ORL surgeries were analyzed. Thirty percent of the inpatient cohort and 2% of the discharged cohort received appropriate risk-stratified VTE prophylaxis. In those who did not receive appropriate prophylaxis, overall inpatient VTE was 3.5-fold higher (0.73% vs. 0.20%, p = 0.015), and all PE occurred in this cohort (0.47% vs. 0.00%, p = 0.005). All 30- and 90-day discharged VTE events occurred in those not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. Inpatient, 30- and 90-day discharged bleeding rates were 2.10%, 0.13%, and 0.33%, respectively. Although inpatient bleeding was significantly higher in those receiving appropriate prophylaxis, all 30- and 90-day post-discharge bleeding events occurred in patients not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. On regression analysis, Caprini score was significantly positively associated with likelihood of receiving appropriate inpatient prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI] 1.03-1.07) but was negatively associated in the discharge cohort (OR 0.43, CI 0.36-0.51). Receipt of appropriate prophylaxis was associated with reduced odds of inpatient VTE (OR 0.24, CI 0.06-0.69), but not with risk of bleeding. Although Caprini VTE risk-stratified prophylaxis has a positive impact in reducing inpatient and post-discharge VTE, it must be balanced against the risk of inpatient postoperative bleeding. 3 Laryngoscope, 134:1169-1182, 2024.

Adherence to Extended Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Outcomes After Complex Gastrointestinal Oncologic Surgery

BackgroundClinical guidelines recommend extended venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis for cancer patients after major gastrointestinal (GI) operations. However, adherence to the guidelines has been low, and the clinical outcomes not well defined.MethodsThis study retrospectively analyzed a random 10 % sample of the 2009–2022 IQVIA LifeLink PharMetrics Plus database, an administrative claims database representative of the commercially insured population of the United States. The study selected cancer patients undergoing major pancreas, liver, gastric, or esophageal surgery. The primary outcomes were 90-day post-discharge VTE and bleeding.ResultsThe study identified 2296 unique eligible operations. During the index hospitalization, 52 patients (2.2 %) experienced VTE, 74 patients (3.2 %) had postoperative bleeding, and 140 patients (6.1 %) had a hospital stay of at least 28 days. The remaining 2069 operations comprised 833 pancreatectomies, 664 hepatectomies, 295 gastrectomies, and 277 esophagectomies. The median age of the patients was 49 years, and 44 % were female. Extended VTE prophylaxis prescriptions were filled for 176 patients (10.4 % for pancreas, 8.1 % for liver, 5.8 % for gastric cancer, and 6.5 % for esophageal cancer), and the most used agent was enoxaparin (96 % of the patients). After discharge, VTE occurred for 5.2 % and bleeding for 5.2 % of the patients. The findings showed no association of extended VTE prophylaxis with post-discharge VTE (odds ratio [OR], 1.54; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 0.81–2.96) or bleeding (OR, 0.72, 95 % CI, 0.32–1.61).ConclusionsThe majority of the cancer patients undergoing complex GI surgery did not receive extended VTE prophylaxis according to the current guidelines, and their VTE rate was not higher than for the patients who received it.

Predicting post-discharge venous thromboembolism and bleeding among medical patients: External validation of a novel risk score utilizing ubiquitous biomarkers

BackgroundPost-hospitalization thromboprophylaxis can reduce venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk for non-surgical patients but may carry bleeding risks. We aimed to externally validate the Intermountain Risk Scores for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE IMRS) and major bleeding (HA-MB IMRS) for VTE and bleeding outcomes. MethodsRetrospective cohort study of adult patients discharged alive from medical services between 2015 and 2019. HA-VTE IMRS and HA-MB IMRS were calculated at the time of hospital discharge and dichotomized as high- or low-risk as described in the derivation manuscript. 90-day post-discharge VTE outcomes were assessed from diagnostic radiology reports, and bleeding outcomes were assessed using ICD-10 codes and blood bank transfusion records. ResultsAmong 113,578 patients in the study, 66,340 patients (58.4 %) had a low-risk HA-VTE IMRS <7, versus 47,238 (41.6 %) high-risk ≥7. For bleed prediction, 71,576 patients (63 %) had a low-risk HA-MB IMRS <8, versus 42,002 (37 %) high-risk ≥8. VTE incidence was 1.1 % and 0.6 % while major bleeding incidence was 1.3 % and 0.1 % in high-risk versus low-risk cohorts, respectively. AUCs for VTE and bleed outcome discrimination were 0.59 and 0.78, respectively. Patients with a combined high-risk VTE score and low-risk bleeding score comprised 14.5 % of the population. ConclusionIn this external validation study, the HA-VTE IMRS had poor discrimination for VTE but the HA-MB IMRS had good discriminatory ability for major bleeding events. A sizable minority of patients were categorized as high VTE risk with low bleed risk, a population which may have an optimal risk-benefit profile for post-hospital thromboprophylaxis.

Safety and Efficacy of Extended Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Microsurgical Breast Reconstruction.

The PearlDiver database was queried for MBR patients who did not receive postdischarge VTE prophylaxis (cohort 1) and MBR patients discharged with enoxaparin for at least 14 days (cohort 2), then queried for hematoma, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), and/or pulmonary embolism. Concurrently, a systematic review was undertaken to identify studies investigating VTE with postoperative chemoprophylaxis. In total, 13,541 patients in cohort 1 and 786 patients in cohort 2 were identified. The incidence of hematoma, DVT, and pulmonary embolism were 3.51%, 1.01%, 0.55% in cohort 1, and 3.31%, 2.93%, and 1.78% in cohort 2, respectively. There was no significant difference in hematoma between these two cohorts (P = 0.767); however, a significantly lower rate of DVT (P < 0.001) and pulmonary embolism (P < 0.001) occurred in cohort 1. Ten studies met systematic review inclusion. Only three studies reported significantly lower VTE rates with postoperative chemoprophylaxis. Seven studies found no difference in bleeding risk. This is the first study utilizing a national database and a systematic review to investigate extended postoperative enoxaparin in MBR. Overall, rates of DVT/PE seem to be declining compared with previous literature. The results of this study suggest that there remains a lack of evidence supporting extended postoperative chemoprophylaxis, although the therapy appears safe in that it does not increase bleeding risk.

Safety of post discharge extended VTE prophylaxis after hepatopancreatobiliary surgery

Background: Patients undergoing hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB) operations for malignancy are at high risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE) following surgery. Due to potential risk of bleeding, differing recommendations have been proposed for the use of extended VTE prophylaxis after hospital discharge in this patient population. This study aims to examine the safety of routine post-discharge extended VTE prophylaxis in patients at high risk for VTE events following HPB surgery.

Comment On: The Duration and Magnitude of Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism Following Colectomy.

Comment On: The Duration and Magnitude of Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism Following Colectomy.

Survey of U.S. Healthcare Providers to Assess Attitudes and Practices Regarding Thromboprophylaxis of Hospitalized Adult Patients

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of mortality among hospitalized patients, but appropriate thromboprophylaxis remains underutilized. A significant proportion of VTE associated with hospitalization occurs after discharge. We conducted a national survey of healthcare providers to explore attitudes, practices, and barriers related to thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients, including practices for post discharge VTE prevention. Methods: We developed a survey exploring current attitudes and practices around VTE prophylaxis in adult hospitalized patients. Healthcare providers targeted for the survey were physicians, nurses, physician assistants, and pharmacists. The survey was administered to a targeted convenience sample. Participants were recruited through social media, professional healthcare organizations, and internal medicine program directors across the US. The overarching survey areas included (1) use of appropriate prophylaxis, including perceived rates of appropriate prophylaxis at respective institutions, (2) perceived barriers to appropriate prophylaxis, (3) practices to educate about and prevent post discharge VTE events, and (4) views on use of risk assessment models (RAMs) and other strategies to improve rates of VTE prophylaxis. Since it is generally understood by the healthcare provider respondents of this survey that administration of VTE prophylaxis depends on a patient's risk, survey questions did not specify a definition for appropriate prophylaxis. We summarized data as proportions with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Of 607 U.S.-based respondents, 69.9% were 40 years or younger, 55.7% were female, 68.2% were white, and 63.1% reported working in an academic hospital. Physicians comprised 70.7% of respondents, of whom 46.6% identified as trainees; among non-trainees, 49.0% had been in practice for more than 10 years. Hospital medicine was the most frequent specialty (52.1%) followed by hematology (20.8%). Nearly all respondents agreed that VTE prophylaxis is important for patient care (98.8%, 95% CI: 97.6-99.5) and that current measures are safe (92.6%, 95% CI: 90.2-94.5) and effective (93.8%, 95% CI: 91.6-95.6). Yet only 52.0% (95% CI: 47.9-56.0) of respondents perceived that hospitalized patients at their institution were on appropriate VTE prophylaxis almost all of the time. The most commonly cited reasons for patients not being on appropriate VTE prophylaxis included patient refusal (21.8%), risk of bleeding outweighs benefit (21.6%), and unclear indications (16.0%) and contraindications (17.6%) for prophylaxis. Less than half of respondents reported using institutional protocols (48.3%) or a standardized RAM (35.4%) to select patients for VTE prophylaxis and most respondents (72.3%) relied on clinical judgement to assess bleeding risk when deciding on prophylaxis (Figure 1). Respondent views on strategies that could improve VTE prophylaxis rates in hospitalized patients included integration of RAMs into electronic health records (66.6%), automatic electronic reminders (55.0%), and order sets in electronic systems (46.1%) (Figure 2). Less than 20% of respondents reported routinely educating patients about risks (15.1%, 95% CI: 12.3-18.2) and symptoms (17.9%, 95% CI: 14.9-21.2) of post-discharge VTE events, and 8.6% (95% CI: 0.06-11.1) routinely prescribe VTE prophylaxis on discharge. Respondent views on strategies that could help reduce post-discharge VTE events included using standardized risk assessments at discharge (60.0%), providing educational materials at discharge (51.2%), and including post-discharge VTE prophylaxis in discharge checklists (45.5%) (Figure 2). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the largest U.S. national survey to date that focuses on VTE prevention practices in hospitalized patients. VTE prophylaxis was almost universally accepted as important, safe, and effective for patients at risk for VTE. Less than half of the respondents reported using standardized protocols or RAMs to guide appropriate thromboprophylaxis administration. Discharge education regarding risks of VTE is infrequent. This national multidisciplinary survey study highlights gaps in current practices and strategies for VTE prevention in hospitalized patients. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Association of Prophylaxis and Length of Stay With Venous Thromboembolism in Abdominopelvic Surgery

IntroductionExtended venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (eVTEp) is recommended for select patients who have undergone major abdominopelvic surgery to prevent postdischarge venous thromboembolism (pdVTE). Criteria for selection of these patients are untested for this purpose and may be ineffective. To address this gap, we investigated the effectiveness of eVTEp on pdVTE rates. MethodsA retrospective cohort study of patients undergoing abdominopelvic surgery from January 2016 to February 2020 was performed using data from the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative. pdVTE was the main outcome. Our exposure variable, eVTEp, was compared dichotomously. Length of stay (LOS) was compared categorically using clinically relevant groups. Age, race, cancer occurrence, inflammatory bowel disease, surgical approach, and surgical time were covariates among other variables. Descriptive statistics, propensity score matching, and multivariable logistic regression were performed to compare pdVTE rates. ResultsA total of 45,637 patients underwent abdominopelvic surgery. Of which, 3063 (6.71%) were prescribed eVTEp. Two hundred eighty-five (0.62%) had pdVTE. Of the 285, 59 (21%) patients received eVTEp, while 226 (79%) patients did not. After propensity score matching, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed pdVTE was associated with eVTEp and LOS of 5 d or more (P < 0.001). eVTEp was not associated with LOS. Further analysis showed increased risk of pdVTE with increasing LOS independent of prescription of eVTEp based on known risk factors. ConclusionspdVTE was associated with increasing LOS but not with other VTE risk factors after propensity score matching. Current guidelines for eVTEp do not include LOS. Our findings suggest that LOS >5 d should be added to the criteria for eVTEp.

Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis Adherence Rate in the Veterans Health Administration

INTRODUCTION: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents a major source of preventable morbidity and mortality after cancer operation in the US. Previous research demonstrated variability in both inpatient and post-discharge VTE chemoprophylaxis prescribing, though it is unknown how these rates compare with performance in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The objective of this study is to determine VTE rate after major cancer operation as well as rate of chemoprophylaxis adherence within the VHA. METHODS: The Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database (VASQIP) was used to identify patients without pre-existing bleeding disorder or anticoagulation usage who underwent a major abdominal or thoracic operation for cancer between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2018. Rates of VTE events and VTE chemoprophylaxis adherence were determined. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine odds of inpatient and outpatient chemoprophylaxis adherence. RESULTS: Overall, 13,377 patients met criteria for inclusion. All patients had a Caprini VTE Risk Index score greater than 5. The overall postoperative VTE rate was 1.7% (n = 227) with 49.4% occurring during inpatient hospitalization and 50.6% occurring while outpatient. Inpatient chemoprophylaxis was ordered for 80.3% of patients, yet only 8.6% of patients received outpatient chemoprophylaxis, with notable variation by specialty (Table). CONCLUSION: The overall VTE rate after major cancer operation within the VA is low. Inpatient chemoprophylaxis administration rate is high. Post-discharge VTE chemoprophylaxis prescribing is low, yet similar to other large, non-VA health systems. Specialty variation exists for chemoprophylaxis, and tailoring use based on risk may be justified. Table. - Specialty Variation in Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis after Major Operation Variable Inpatient Outpatient Surgical specialty a Percentage * OR (95% CI) Percentage * OR (95% CI) General surgery, n = 4,972 96.9% Reference 12.5% Reference Thoracic surgery, n = 1,509 95.6% 0.63 (0.41-0.98) 1.1% 0.07 (0.02-0.23) Urology, n = 6,846 64.9% 0.06 (0.04-0.08) 7.5% 0.51 (0.21-1.26) *All p < 0.001.OR, odds ratio.aExcluding 24 (0.18%) patients missing specialty data.

The Duration and Magnitude of Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism Following Colectomy.

Objective:To assess the impact of current guidelines by reporting weekly postoperative postdischarge venous thromboembolism (VTE) rates.Summary Background Data:Disparity exists between the postoperative thromboprophylaxis duration colectomy patients receive based on surgical indication, where malignant resections routinely receive 28 days extended thromboprophylaxis into the postdischarge period and benign resections do not.Methods:English national cohort study of colectomy patients between 2010 and 2019 using linked primary (Clinical Practice Research Datalink) and secondary (Hospital Episode Statistics) care data. Stratified by admission type and surgical indication, absolute incidence rates (IRs) per 1000 person-years and adjusted incidence rate ratios (aIRRs) for postdischarge VTE were calculated for the first 4 weeks following resection and postdischarge VTE IRs for each postoperative week to 12 weeks postoperative.Results:Of 104,744 patients, 663 (0.63%) developed postdischarge VTE within 12 weeks after colectomy. Postdischarge VTE IRs per 1000 person-years for the first 4 weeks postoperative were low following elective resections [benign: 20.66, 95% confidence interval (CI): 13.73–31.08; malignant: 28.95, 95% CI: 23.09–36.31] and higher following emergency resections (benign: 47.31, 95% CI: 34.43–65.02; malignant: 107.18, 95% CI: 78.62–146.12). Compared with elective malignant resections, there was no difference in postdischarge VTE risk within 4 weeks following elective benign colectomy (aIRR=0.92, 95% CI: 0.56–1.50). However, postdischarge VTE risks within 4 weeks following emergency resections were significantly greater for benign (aIRR=1.89, 95% CI: 1.22–2.94) and malignant (aIRR=3.13, 95% CI: 2.06–4.76) indications compared with elective malignant colectomy.Conclusions:Postdischarge VTE risk within 4 weeks of colectomy is ∼2-fold greater following emergency benign compared with elective malignant resections, suggesting emergency benign colectomy patients may benefit from extended VTE prophylaxis.