Venous Thromboembolic Disease Prophylaxis Research Articles

Venous thromboembolic prophylaxis: current practice of surgeons in Australia and New Zealand for major abdominal surgery

BackgroundSurgical prophylaxis for venous thrombo-embolic disease (VTE) includes risk assessment, chemical prophylaxis and mechanical prophylaxis (graduated compression stockings [GCS] and/or intermittent pneumatic compression devices [IPCD]). Although there is overwhelming evidence for the need and efficacy of VTE prophylaxis in patients at risk, only about a third of those who are at risk of VTE receive appropriate prophylaxis.ObjectiveThere is debate as to the best combination of VTE prophylaxis following abdominal surgery due to lack of evidence. The aim of this survey was to understand this gap between knowledge and practice.MethodsIn 2019 and 2020, a survey was conducted to investigate the current practice of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis for major abdominal surgery, with a focus on colorectal resections. The study received ethics approval and involved distributing an 11-item questionnaire to members of two professional surgical societies: the Colorectal Surgical Society of Australia and New Zealand (CSSANZ) and the General Surgeons Australia (GSA).ResultsFrom 214 surgeons: 100% use chemical prophylaxis, 68% do not use a risk assessment tool, 27% do not vary practice according to patient risk factors while > 90% use all three forms of VTE prophylaxis at some stage of treatment. Most surgeons do not vary practice between laparoscopic and open colectomy/major abdominal surgery and only 33% prescribe post-discharge chemical prophylaxis. 42% of surgeons surveyed had equipoise for a clinical trial on the use of IPCDs and the vast majority (> 95%) feel that IPCDs should provide at least a 2% improvement in VTE event rate in order to justify their routine use.ConclusionMost surgeons in Australia and New Zealand do not use risk assessment tools and use all three forms of prophylaxis regardless. Therfore there is a gap between practice and VTE prophylaxis for the use of mechanical prophylaxis options. Further research is required to determine whether dual modality mechanical prophylaxis is incrementally efficacious. Trial Registration- Not Applicable.

Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease: Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices of Health Care Personnel in a Hospital Setting in Parakou in 2017

Aims: To describe the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care personnel regarding venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis (VTE) in the hospital setting to Parakou in 2017.
 Study Design: A descriptive cross-sectional study with prospective data collection.
 Place and Duration of Study: Departments of medicine and medical specialties, Departments of surgery and surgical specialties, Departments of gyneco-obstetrics and intensive care at the Hospital University of Parakou (CHUD-B), in northern Benin, between February 2017 and May 2017.
 Methodology: We included all health professionals working in these services who consented to participate. The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines for the management of VTE were used as the reference for the assessment of knowledge, attitudes and practices. The evaluation form consisted of two parts, one addressed to physicians and the other to paramedics. The data were analyzed with SPSS 21 software with a significance level of 5% for comparisons.
 Results: A total of 223 health workers participated in the study. The knowledge level of the health workers was good in 52.47%, attitudes were correct in 37.67% and practices were adequate in 4.32%. Overall, health professionals had a good knowledge-attitude-practice (KAP) score in 5.83% of the cases. Factors significantly associated with a good overall KAP score were practice on medical departments, continuing education of staff, status of doctors, knowledge of VTE guidelines and existence of VTE prevention protocols.
 Conclusion: Venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis is moderately known by the health care personnel in Parakou, but attitudes and practices are not satisfactory. This highlights the need for continuous training.

Thromboprophylaxis for patients with newly diagnosed vs. recurrent cancers: a post-hoc analysis of the avert trial.

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is a common complication among patients with cancer. Data reporting risk of VTE among patients receiving chemotherapy for recurrent cancer compared to those with newly diagnosed tumors is scarce. Furthermore, it is unclear if thromboprophylaxis is beneficial and safe in these specific patient populations. Post-hoc analysis of the AVERT trial which was a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial comparing apixaban therapy to placebo for VTE prophylaxis among cancer patients who were intermediate-to-high risk for VTE and who were initiating chemotherapy. The HRs for recurrent VTE and major bleeding episodes in patients with newly diagnosed and recurrent cancers were calculated using a Cox regression model controlling for age, gender, and center. Of the 563 included patients 469 and 93 patients had newly diagnosed and recurrent cancers, respectively. Patients with recurrent cancer have a higher risk of VTE (Hazard ratio (HR): 1.53 (95% CI 1.0 to 2.33; p = 0.047) and major bleeding episodes (HR 2.89 (95% CI 1.52 to 5.49; p = 0.001) compared to those with newly diagnosed cancer. In patients with newly diagnosed cancers, the use of apixaban was associated with a significantly lower risk of VTE (HR 0.45; 95% CI 0.27-0.76; p = 0.002) and a higher rate of major bleeding (HR 2.10; 95% CI 1.09-4.08; p = 0.028). In patients with recurrent cancer, apixaban was associated with a significant lower rate of VTE (HR 0.26; 95% CI 0.13-0.53; p < 0.001) without an associated significantly increased risk of major bleeding (HR 1.82; 95% CI 0.36-9.15; p = 0.466). Patients with recurrent cancer seem to be at higher risk of recurrent VTE and major bleeding complications compared to those with newly diagnosed tumors. Apixaban appears to be safe and effective in these patient populations.

SEDAR-SEMICYUC consensus recommendations on the management of haemostasis disorders in severely ill patients with COVID-19 infection

The infection by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the disease called COVID-19, mainly causes alterations in the respiratory system. In severely ill patients, the disease often evolves into an acute respiratory distress syndrome that can predispose patients to a state of hypercoagulability, with thrombosis at both venous and arterial levels. This predisposition presents a multifactorial physiopathology, related to hypoxia as well as to the severe inflammatory process linked to this pathology, including the additional thrombotic factors present in many of the patients.In view of the need to optimise the management of hypercoagulability, the working groups of the Scientific Societies of Anaesthesiology-Resuscitation and Pain Therapy (SEDAR) and of Intensive, Critical Care Medicine and Coronary Units (SEMICYUC) have developed a consensus to establish guidelines for actions to be taken against alterations in haemostasis observed in severely ill patients with COVID-19. These recommendations include prophylaxis of venous thromboembolic disease in these patients, and in the peripartum, management of patients on long-term antiplatelet or anticoagulant treatment, bleeding complications in the course of the disease, and the interpretation of general alterations in haemostasis.

Pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in radical prostatectomy

Background and aimPulmonary thromboembolism is one of the most common causes of non-surgical death in patients following urological abdominopelvic surgery. Since the beginning of prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease, episodes of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism have decreased. Our objective is to analyse the prognosis factors of thromboembolic disease, the clinical variability in the use of pharmacological prophylaxis and the results of its application. Material and methodsRetrospective multicentric study of 610 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy between December 2013 and November 2014, in 7 general hospitals in Spain, Italy and Portugal. Patients were classified according to their baseline characteristics into thrombotic risk groups and haemorrhagic risk groups. The venous thromboembolic events that occurred in the different groups were analysed. ResultsThe average age was 65.22 years (48–78). The average body mass index was 26.7 and the average ASA risk 2.1. In all patients, early mobilization began in the first 24h. In 4.1% intermittent pneumatic compression was used and 84.6% received pharmacological prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparins. Only 3.4% used the combination of mechanical prophylaxis with pharmacological prophylaxis. We observed a decrease in the incidence of thromboembolic events in the patients who received pharmacological prophylaxis, with an absolute risk reduction of 6.8%. There was no increase in the risk of haemorrhage in the patients who received pharmacological prophylaxis. ConclusionsIn this study on patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, there was no difference in haemorrhagic complications derived from the use of pharmacological prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease. Pharmacological prophylaxis reduces the risk of presenting a thromboembolic event in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, although this risk is not associated with the approach technique.

Effectivity of Thromboprophylxie in Dakar’s Medical Areas

Introduction: Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is a real public health problem worldwide. The practice guide produced periodically by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) has become the international standard. However, thromboprophylaxis remains underused. Methodology: We carried out a descriptive cross-sectional study. The goals of that study were to evaluate the effectiveness of the practice of thromboprophylaxis in the various medical services of the Dakar Public Hospitals. Our investigation was conducted for two weeks in September 2017. Results: 160 patients were included (81 men and 79 women) in our series, with male predominance: sex ratio of 1.02. The average age was 48. Infectious pathologies were the predominant clinical pictures (35% of cases). The thromboembolic risk factors (RF) mainly found were represented by prolonged bed rest, followed by cardiovascular (RF): age greater than 60 years (31.2%), hypertension (8.8%), obesity (4.4%) and diabetes (3.8%). The thromboembolic RF of patients hospitalized in these medical services has been evaluated empirically. We noted a lack of use of the VTE risk assessment scores. 40.9% (n = 56) of patients received overall VTE prophylaxis, a rate corresponding to almost half of those at risk (51.4%). This result reflects an under-use of thromboprophylaxis in the Dakar medical environment and a low level of adherence by practicians to the guidelines on VTE prophylaxis. Conclusion: It is therefore recommended to develop a national strategy to assess patients at risk for VTE, as well as measures to educate and inform doctors about the appropriate forms of thromboprophylaxis.

Profilaxis farmacológica de la tromboembolia venosa en la prostatectomía radical

Background and aimPulmonary thromboembolism is one of the most common causes of non-surgical death in patients following urological abdominopelvic surgery. Since the beginning of prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease, episodes of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary thromboembolism have decreased. Our objective is to analyse the prognosis factors of thromboembolic disease, the clinical variability in the use of pharmacological prophylaxis and the results of its application. Material and methodsRetrospective multicentric study of 610 patients undergoing radical prostatectomy between December 2013 and November 2014, in 7general hospitals in Spain, Italy and Portugal. Patients were classified according to their baseline characteristics into thrombotic risk groups and haemorrhagic risk groups. The venous thromboembolic events that occurred in the different groups were analysed. ResultsThe average age was 65.22years (48-78). The average body mass index was 26.7 and the average ASA risk 2.1. In all patients, early mobilization began in the first 24hours. In 4.1% intermittent pneumatic compression was used and 84.6% received pharmacological prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparins. Only 3.4% used the combination of mechanical prophylaxis with pharmacological prophylaxis. We observed a decrease in the incidence of thromboembolic events in the patients who received pharmacological prophylaxis, with an absolute risk reduction of 6.8%. There was no increase in the risk of haemorrhage in the patients who received pharmacological prophylaxis. ConclusionsIn this study on patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, there was no difference in haemorrhagic complications derived from the use of pharmacological prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease. Pharmacological prophylaxis reduces the risk of presenting a thromboembolic event in patients undergoing radical prostatectomy, although this risk is not associated with the approach technique.

The Effectiveness of Aspirin for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis for Patients Undergoing Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair.

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTED) is a rare complication following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR). The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American College of Chest Physicians have no prophylaxis guidelines specific to shoulder arthroscopy, yet many surgeons prescribe aspirin following RCR. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of aspirin and mechanical prophylaxis compared with mechanical prophylaxis alone in preventing VTED following RCR. A total of 914 patients underwent RCR between January 2010 and January 2015. A retrospective case-control study was performed. The control group (n=484) consisted of patients treated with compression boots and early mobilization. The study group (n=430) used compression boots, early mobilization, and 81 mg/d of aspirin. The primary outcome was symptomatic VTED, including deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). A total of 7 VTED events occurred during the study period: 6 DVTs and 1 PE; 1 patient experienced both DVT and PE. The percentage of patients with VTED, DVT, and PE was 0.66%, 0.66%, and 0.11%, respectively. There was no significant difference for DVT or PE between the 2 groups. The incidence of DVT and PE was 0.62% and 0.00%, respectively, for the control group (no aspirin) and 0.70% and 0.23%, respectively, for the study group (aspirin). Aspirin does not lead to a clinically significant reduction in either DVT or PE rate in patients undergoing RCR. The authors conclude that the use of mechanical prophylaxis and early mobilization is a sufficient method of VTED prophylaxis in this low-risk population. [Orthopedics. 2019; 42(2):e187-e192.].

Effectiveness of ASA for VTE Prophylaxis in Arthroscopic Rotator Cuff Repair

Objectives:Venous thromboembolic disease (VTED) is a rare complication following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (RCR). Historical rates of symptomatic VTED after arthroscopic shoulder surgery, DVT and PE, are 0.26%, and 0.01-0.21%, respectively. At present, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) have no prophylaxis guidelines specific to shoulder arthroscopy. Despite this, many surgeons prescribe Aspirin (ASA) for chemical prophylaxis following RCR. The efficacy of ASA as a thromboprophylaxis after shoulder arthroscopy is unknown, but there are risks associated with its’ use. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of chemical prophylaxis (ASA) and mechanical prophylaxis vs. mechanical prophylaxis alone in preventing VTED following RCR.Methods:A total of 914 patients underwent RCR between the months of January 2010 and January 2015. A retrospective case control study was performed. The control group (n=484) consisted of patients treated with perioperative mechanical VTED prophylaxis (compression boots) and early mobilization. The study group (n=430) also utilized perioperative mechanical prophylaxis and early mobilization, and added chemical prophylaxis (ASA 81 mg daily) for four weeks after surgery. The primary outcome was symptomatic VTED (DVT/PE). Chart records were collected and evaluated for six months after surgery. Patient demographics and other surgical complications were also analyzed.Results:A total of 7 VTED events occurred during the study period, 6 DVTs and 1 PE. The total rate of VTED was 0.88%, DVT was 0.77%, and PE was 0.11%. There was no significant different between DVT (p=0.88, 95% CI= -1.36% - 1.65%) or PE (p=0.45, 95% CI = -0.77% - 1.50%) between the control and study groups. The control group (no ASA) recorded an incidence of 0.62% DVT and 0.00% PE. As compared to the study group (ASA), which recorded an incidence of 0.47% DVT and 0.23% PE. The control group had significantly greater number of documented current smokers (8.68% vs 3.72%, p= 0.0003). The study group had a statistically significant higher mean age of subject (59.1 vs 57.7, p=0.0055), as well as more subjects undergoing revision RCR surgery (4.67% vs 1.86%, p= 0.021).Conclusion:Based on our study of 914 patients, ASA does not provide a clinically significant reduction in VTED rates in patients undergoing RCR. We conclude that the use of mechanical prophylaxis and early mobilization is a sufficient method of VTED prophylaxis in this low risk population.

Compliance with the 2009 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines for venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis in pregnancy and postpartum period in Uruguay.

: Venous thromboembolism remains as one of the leading causes of maternal death. Prevention of venous thromboembolism in the obstetric population is challenging as recommendations for prophylaxis have low grade of evidence. Risk factors and prophylaxis guidelines have been highlighted by Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. In 2014, we developed a written alert following this guidelines to guide thromboprophylaxis. The aim of this study is to assess recommendations compliance. This study was conducted at University-Hospital in Uruguay from January 2014 to December 2016. A total of 1035 women were enrolled and stratified in high, intermediate or low risk based on Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists guidelines. Thromboprophylaxis was recommended for women at intermediate and high risk. Women were followed up to assess symptomatic thromboembolism or haemorrhagic complications. A total of 309 were pregnant and 731 puerperal. Median age was 24 (19-29) years old. Of them, 3.0% (n = 31) were at high risk and 35.4% (n = 366) at intermediate risk. All high-risk women received prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin. Of the 366 intermediate-risk women, 52.7% received prophylaxis. Venous thromboembolism was developed in only one woman of the intermediate group, who had received prophylaxis. Bleeding complications were not observed. Awareness of the thrombotic risk, as conferred by an easy and suitable risk assessment, has the potential to improve venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in pregnant and puerperal women. We have a good guidelines compliance with the written alert in the high-risk women group. However, we have to improve low-molecular-weight heparin indication in intermediate-risk group, especially in postcaesarean women.

Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis after Total Knee Arthroplasty.

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTED) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Current VTED prophylaxis protocols consist of early mobilization, mechanical compression devices, and pharmacologic agents. Venous phasic flow-regulated below-knee devices are generally favored, but the optimal duration and method of mechanical prophylaxis is unknown. Risk stratification models have been developed to guide pharmacologic prophylaxis. For patients with standard VTED risk profile, aspirin has become increasingly popular. Recent studies have validated the efficacy, relatively low bleeding risks, and cost-effectiveness of aspirin in the patients with standard risk profile. Current evidence suggests that the newer oral anticoagulants, including the factor Xa and the direct thrombin inhibitors, are effective for the reduction of postoperative VTED but may be associated with increased bleeding and wound complication rates.

Patient compliance with venous thromboembolism prophylaxis (VTE).

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) comprises pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and causes morbidity and mortality, particularly in trauma and orthopaedic patients. Prevalence of 0.9% and 1.2% respectively are reported, with mortality rates up to 13.8%. Chemical thromboprophylactic agents including low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) are considered cost effective in reducing VTE risk. Evidence for anti-platelets including Aspirin for VTE prophylaxis is less compelling and is not supported as monotherapy. There has been no published data on patient compliance with LMWH in trauma outpatients. We aimed to determine whether trauma outpatients accept LMWH after discussing their VTE risk and the evidence for prophylaxis. For those accepting prophylaxis, we also investigated their compliance for the duration of immobilisation. Lower limb injured patients treated with external immobilisation over a 6 month period at our major trauma centre were included. On completion of immobilisation, they were requested to complete a 17-point questionnaire. Patients declining injectable subcutaneous LMWH as prophylaxis were offered Aspirin 75mg as a second line agent. Seventy-five questionnaires were completed and five were excluded. Nineteen patients required surgical intervention for their injury, 51 were managed non-operatively. Thirty-one patients accepted LMWH and 30 chose Aspirin as an alternative. Nine patients declined or were not commenced on prophylaxis. Nineteen reported no missed Aspirin doses and 25 reported no missed LMWH doses. No patients reported missed doses due to pain, side effects or cessation of treatment for another reason. The mean average pain score recorded on the VAS was 3.8. No patients in the study were diagnosed with a VTE. LMWH is a recognised chemical thromboprophylactic and is well tolerated by patients for VTE risk reduction in lower limb immobilised outpatients. With poor evidence supporting Aspirin as a solo prophylactic agent, our local policy has withdrawn Aspirin for this purpose.

The 5 Clinical Pillars of Value for Total Joint Arthroplasty in a Bundled Payment Paradigm

BackgroundOur large, urban, tertiary, university-based institution reflects on its 4-year experience with Bundled Payments for Care Improvement. We will describe the importance of 5 clinical pillars that have contributed to the early success of our bundled payment initiative. We are convinced that value-based care delivered through bundled payment initiatives is the best method to optimize patient outcomes while rewarding surgeons and hospitals for adapting to the evolving healthcare reforms. MethodsWe summarize a number of experiences and lessons learned since the implementation of Bundled Payments for Care Improvement at our institution. ResultsOur experience has led to the development of more refined clinical pathways and coordination of care through evidence-based approaches. We have established that the success of the bundled payment program rests on the following 5 main clinical pillars: (1) optimizing patient selection and comorbidities; (2) optimizing care coordination, patient education, shared decision making, and patient expectations; (3) using a multimodal pain management protocol and minimizing narcotic use to facilitate rapid rehabilitation; (4) optimizing blood management, and standardizing venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis treatment by risk standardizing patients and minimizing the use of aggressive anticoagulation; and (5) minimizing post-acute facility and resource utilization, and maximizing home resources for patient recovery. ConclusionFrom our extensive experience with bundled payment models, we have established 5 clinical pillars of value for bundled payments. Our hope is that these principles will help ease the transition to value-based care for less-experienced healthcare systems.

Clinical factors associated with inappropriate prophylaxis of venous thromboembolic disease in critically ill patients. A single day cross-sectional study

PurposeA poor implementation of VTE prophylactic measures recommended for critically ill patients has been observed in several epidemiological studies. The clinical factors associated with this have not been clearly established. The objective of our study was to identify which factors could be related to the inappropriate use of VTE prophylaxis. MethodsAnalytic epidemiological study based on different aspects of VTE prophylaxis performed on Spanish ICU patients. A multiple logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors associated with inappropriate prophylaxis, according to the American College of Chest Physicians 2012 guidelines. ResultsWe enrolled 777 patients. On admission, 62% presented medical, 30% surgical and 8% major trauma pathology. Of all patients, 41% were receiving an inappropriate prophylaxis, including 19% which did not receive any prophylaxis. The presence of a contraindication for pharmacological prophylaxis (OR 3.91, 95% CI 2.50–6.10) and non-medical pathology at ICU admission (OR 11.09; 95% CI 7.63–16.12) were associated with inappropriate prophylaxis. In contrast, mechanical ventilation (OR 0.70, 95% CI 0.45–0.98), bed rest>48h (OR 0.61, 95% CI 0.49–0.98), the use of a protocol for VTE prophylaxis (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45–0.98) and a VTE risk scoring system (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.24–0.98) were associated with adequate prophylaxis. ConclusionsOur study highlighted a poor compliance with the VTE prophylaxis recommendations proposed for critical patients. The implementation of specific protocols for prophylaxis that include a correct evaluation according to VTE and haemorrhage risk, would allow for optimisation of mechanical and combined prophylaxis, improving adherence to the clinical practice guidelines.

New Oral Anticoagulants in Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolic Disease in Major Orthopedic Surgery.

Despite widespread diffusion of pharmacological prophylaxis, deep venous thrombosis (DVT) is still a common cause of morbidity after major orthopedic surgery (total hip replacement--THR--and total knee replacement--TKR). At present, clear evidence has been provided that pharmacological primary prophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is associated with a significant decrease in the incidence of venous thromboembolism. The main limitation of LMWH prophylaxis however is the need for parenteral administration with a not negligible drop-out of treatment. Newer oral anticoagulants (NAOs) dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixiban and edoxaban may be valid alternatives in elective surgery. Several studies have demonstrated the efficacy and safety of NAOs after THR and TKR. The research for new compounds and their antidote is under continuous development Aim of this paper was to review the indications and clinical results of DVT prophylaxis with NAO in patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery.

Improving adherence rate of extended prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease after abdominal and pelvic oncologic surgery: a pilot educational study.

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is higher among patients with cancer. For those undergoing abdominal or pelvic surgery for cancer, it is suggested to extend thromboprophylaxis during 4 weeks with low-molecular-weight heparin over limited-duration of 7 days. There is no published local data from our country about compliance with recommended guidelines of extended prophylaxis (EP) in patients with cancer undergoing surgical procedures. Our aim was to evaluate the adherence rate to extended pharmacological thromboprophylaxis after abdominal-pelvic surgery for cancer, before and after an educational intervention program (EIP) geared toward surgeons. Prospective cross-sectional study before and after an EIP aimed for surgeons. All consecutive patients older than 65 years who underwent surgery for abdominal-pelvic neoplasm, at the Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires, Argentina, between September 2013 and May 2014, were evaluated for inclusion. A total of 120 patients were included, 60 before and 60 after the EIP aimed for surgeons. None of the initial 60 patients received EP, while 13 (21.6%) of 60 patients received prophylaxis for 28 days (all with colon or rectal cancer) after the intervention. There were no bleeding or death during 90 days of follow-up, and there were 7 of 120 VTE events, none in the group receiving extended thromboprophylaxis. The EIP for the surgical team significantly improved their adherence but only in the colon-rectal surgeries. The adherence to the recommended guidelines is still low. Reasons could be the subjective perception of elevated bleeding risk and the variable grade of recommendation in different guidelines.

PROF-ETEV study: prophylaxis of venous thromboembolic disease in critical care units in Spain.

Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) in critically ill patients has a high incidence despite prophylactic measures. This fact could be related to an inappropriate use of these measures due to the absence of specific VTE risk scores. To assess the current situation in Spain, we have performed a cross-sectional study, analyzing if the prophylactic measures were appropriate to the patients' VTE risk. Through an electronic questionnaire, we carried out a single day point prevalence study on the VTE prophylactic measures used in several critical care units in Spain. We performed a risk stratification for VTE in three groups: low, moderate-high, and very high risk. The American College of Chest Physicians guidelines were used to determine if the patients were receiving the recommended prophylaxis. A total of 777 patients were included; 62% medical, 30% surgical, and 7% major trauma patients. The median number of the risk factors for VTE was four. According to the proposed VTE risk score, only 2% of the patients were at low risk, whereas 83% were at very high risk. Sixty-three percent of patients received pharmacological prophylaxis, 12% mechanical prophylaxis, 6% combined prophylaxis, and 19% did not receive any prophylactic measure. According to criteria suggested by the guidelines, 23% of medical, 71% of surgical, and 70% of major trauma patients received an inappropriate prophylaxis. Most critically ill patients are at high or very high risk of VTE, but there is a low rate of appropriate prophylaxis. The efforts to improve the identification of patients at risk, and the implementation of appropriate prevention protocols should be enhanced.

Prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease in pregnancy and the early postnatal period

Venous thromboembolic disease (TED), although rare, is a major cause of maternal mortality and morbidity, hence methods of prophylaxis are often used for women at risk. This may include women delivered by caesarean section, those with a personal or family history of TED and women with inherited or acquired thrombophilias (conditions that predispose people to thrombosis). Many methods of prophylaxis carry a risk of side effects, and as the risk of TED is low, it is possible that the benefits of thromboprophylaxis may be outweighed by harm. Current guidelines for clinical practice are based on expert opinion only, rather than high quality evidence from randomised trials.To determine the effects of thromboprophylaxis in women who are pregnant or have recently delivered and are at increased risk of TED on the incidence of venous TED and side effects of treatment.We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (May 2009).Randomised trials comparing one method of thromboprophylaxis with placebo or no treatment, and randomised trials comparing two (or more) methods of thromboprophylaxis.Two review authors extracted data independently and resolved any discrepancies by discussion.Sixteen trials met the inclusion criteria but only 13 trials, involving 1774 women, examining a range of methods of thromboprophylaxis, contributed data for the outcomes of interest. Four of them compared methods of antenatal prophylaxis: low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) versus unfractionated heparin (UFH) (two studies), and heparin versus no treatment (two studies). Eight studies assessed postnatal prophylaxis after caesarean section; one compared hydroxyethyl starch with unfractionated heparin; four compared heparin with placebo; and the other three compared UFH with LMWH. One study examined prophylaxis in the postnatal period.The small number of statistically significant findings in this review are largely derived from trials which are not of high methodological quality. It was not possible to assess the effects of any of these interventions on most outcomes, and especially on rare outcomes such as death, TED and osteoporosis, because of small sample sizes and the small number of trials making the same comparisons.There was some evidence of side effects associated with thromboprophylaxis.There is insufficient evidence on which to base recommendations for thromboprophylaxis during pregnancy and the early postnatal period. Large scale randomised trials of currently-used interventions should be conducted.

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Introduction: Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), comprised of pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), results in significant postoperative morbidity and mortality with increased resource utilization. Hypothesis: Patients who undergo emergent general surgery procedures have increased risk of postoperative VTE complications. Methods: Demographic and clinical data between Jan 2006 to Sept 2011 were prospectively collected on general surgical inpatients as part of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative[1]. Patients who did not undergo general anesthesia were excluded. Race, gender, age (<45 years, 45-65 years, 65-75 years, and >75 years old), ASA classification (1-2 vs. 3-5), operative times, and preoperative functional status were further evaluated as risk factors for development of VTE. Data analysis included Chi-square and logistic regression analysis. Results: Of 91,448 general surgery inpatients, there were 72,862 elective (EL) and 18,586 emergent (EM) cases. Within the EM cohort, there were 13,089 white patients, 2839 blacks, and 2639 other/unknown; 8787 were male. A total of 1481 patients were mechanically ventilated for >48 hours (914 EM), 1024 had SIRS (183 EM), 786 had sepsis (226 EM), and 317 had septic shock (157 EM). EM patients had higher rates of DVT (1.87% EM vs. 0.89% EL, P<0.001) and higher rates of PE (0.56% EM vs. 0.44% EL, P = 0.027). Using logistic regression, we found that race and gender did not affect VTE rates in EM patients; however, age >45 years (p=0.01), increased operative time (P<0.001) and increased ASA classification (P <0.001) were significant risk factors for both DVT and PE in EM patients. Additionally, preoperative functional status was a significant risk factor for DVT (P<0.001) but not for PE. Conclusions: Emergency surgery patients had a significantly higher rate of developing VTE events. Among EM patients, age, operative time, ASA classification, and preoperative functional status are significant risk factors for DVT development; only age, operative time and ASA classifications were risk factors for PE development. In emergency surgery patients, operative time may be a modifiable variable and optimal VTE prophylaxis must be examined as targets for performance improvement. Reference: [1]Campbell DA Jr, Kubus JJ, Henke PK, Hutton M, Englesbe MJ. The Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative: a legacy of Shukri Khuri. Am J Surg. 2009 Nov;198(5 Suppl):S49-55.

Tromboprofilaxis con enoxaparina para artroplastia total de rodilla: estudio observacional, retrospectivo y multicéntrico comparando el inicio del tratamiento preoperatorio con el postoperatorio

ObjectiveThe low molecular weight heparins are the first option for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolic disease in major orthopaedic surgery. The time of starting their administration is controversial. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of enoxaparin in patients subjected to total knee replacement comparing the starting of it before and after the surgery. MethodsAn observational, retrospective and multicentre study of normal clinical practice to determine the incidence of symptomatic deep venous thrombosis and/or pulmonary thromboembolism in total knee replacement surgery. Thromboprophylaxis was normal practice in each centre. Patients were included if they received the first dose of 40mg/24h of enoxaparin either 12h (± 2h) before the surgery (G-PRE) or between 6 and 12hours after the surgery (G-POST). The main safety objective was haemorrhage. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the real influence of each variable. ResultsData was collected from 2014 patients, of whom 1440 were included for the analysis of efficacy (782/1440, 54% of the G-PRE and 658/1440, 46% of the G-POST). The mean incidence of symptomatic thrombotic events was 1.67% (24/1440). The incidence of deep venous thrombosis in the G-PRE was 1.15% compared to 1.22% in the G-POST (P=.569 after multivariate analysis) and the incidence of pulmonary thromboembolism was 0.51 compared to 0.76%, respectively (P=.582 after multivariate analysis). A total of 1422 patients were included for the safety analysis. There was significant bleeding in 59/788 of the G-PRE and in 35/634 of the G-POST (7.49% compared to 5.52%, respectively, P=.138). ConclusionsThese results suggest that thromboprophylaxis with enoxaparin (40mg/24h sc) in patients subjected to total knee replacement surgery has a similar safety and effective profile when it is given 12hours before the surgery or between 6 and 12hours afterwards.