As the use of chest CT-angiograms in emergency departments and medical wards has risen by more than tenfold, so has the discovery of small pulmonary emboli of unclear clinical significance. These PEs are often isolated to distal (subsegmental) branches of the pulmonary artery, without concurrent deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Small distal PEs may be incidentally [… read more]
by Nicole Lou, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Researchers concluded from a large retrospective study that pulmonary embolism is unlikely to cause syncope that results in a trip to the emergency room. Fewer than 1% of nearly 1.7 million patients treated at emergency departments for syncope had pulmonary embolism, according to databases from Canada, Denmark, Italy, and the [… read more]
The new generation of oral anticoagulants have revolutionized management of venous thromboembolism and atrial fibrillation. The changes in clinical practice have also created new questions and confusion around management of bleeding associated with these newer anticoagulants. The American College of Cardiology issued an expert consensus document in December 2017 to help guide physicians on the [… read more]
Most patients with cancer-associated deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) in the U.S. are treated indefinitely with subcutaneous injections of low-molecular weight heparin (LMWH), like enoxaparin. LMWH has been shown to be better than warfarin at preventing DVT/PE in cancer patients, with similar rates of bleeding. A new generation of oral anticoagulants have [… read more]
by Crystal Phend, Senior Associate Editor, MedPage Today Thrombolytics delivered to acute proximal deep-vein thrombus (DVT) with clot removal did not reduce the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome but did raise major bleeding risk over anticoagulant treatment alone in the Acute Venous Thrombosis: Thrombus Removal with Adjunctive Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis (ATTRACT) clinical trial. The proportion of patients with post-thrombotic [… read more]
By Scott Aberegg, M.D., M.P.H. This post is going to be an in-depth “journal club” style analysis of the PROPER trial. In this week’s JAMA, Freund et al report the results of the PROPER randomized controlled trial of the PERC (pulmonary embolism rule -out criteria) rule for safely excluding pulmonary embolism (PE) in the emergency department (ED) [… read more]
By Salynn Boyles, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today A clinical assessment protocol proved to be as effective as blood testing and CT imaging in the emergency department setting for ruling out pulmonary embolism in very low-risk patients in a newly reported French clinical trial. The crossover cluster-randomized PROPER study was conducted at 14 emergency departments (EDs) in France [… read more]
The long-term management of recurrent venous thromboembolism continues to evolve with the FDA’s approval of once-daily low-dose rivaroxaban, now indicated for patients with recurrent deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism who have completed at least six months of anticoagulation. FDA approved low-dose rivaroxaban based on data from 3,395 patients in the EINSTEIN-CHOICE study. Both 20 [… read more]
New-generation oral anticoagulants (NOACs) like dabigatran, rivaroxaban, and apixaban all had similar efficacy and bleeding risk compared to warfarin in the randomized trials that led to their FDA approval. That didn’t stop trial lawyers from filing bundles of lawsuits on behalf of patients experiencing hemorrhages after taking NOACs. (The large brand-name pharmaceutical manufacturers advertising new [… read more]
In pulmonary embolism (PE), right ventricular (RV) strain on transthoracic echocardiography increases the likelihood of shock and mortality. One study showed among patients with PE and normal blood pressure, 10% of those with RV strain on echocardiogram developed shock, and 5% died in hospital. Those without RV strain maintained their blood pressure and survived (but important [… read more]
HIT Overview Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a dangerous complication of heparin exposure. In HIT, the body creates an autoantibody against the complex of platelet factor 4 bound to heparin. The anti-PF4 autoantibodies can activate platelets and cause life- and limb-threatening thrombosis in arteries and veins. Platelets generally fall by more than 50% five to ten [… read more]
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved betrixaban (Bevyxxa), a new oral anticoagulant for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized medical patients with risk factors for DVT/PE. With betrixaban, manufacturer Portola will seek to expand a tiny market niche it could immediately dominate: prophylaxis of DVT/PE extending for about a month after hospital [… read more]
Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) at preventive doses after arthroscopic knee surgery or leg casting did not prevent venous thromboembolism (DVT or PE), in two Dutch randomized trials. The study helps fill a large gap in knowledge regarding risks and benefits of prophylactic anticoagulation in patients undergoing these procedures. In one (POT-KAST), 1,543 patients received [… read more]
Inferior vena cava filters (IVCF) are placed to prevent deep venous thromboses (DVT) from traveling to the heart and lungs, causing pulmonary embolism (PE). IVC filters’ rationale makes sense, but despite their wide use, the benefits and risks of IVCF remain unclear. With about 50,000 IVC filters placed annually in the U.S., that’s a lot of unclarity. [… read more]
By Jon-Emile S. Kenny [@heart_lung] “The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it.” -Oscar Wilde The Case A 76 year old woman without known medical comorbidity is ambulating along 7th avenue, rounding the corner where St. Vincent’s Hospital once operated. It is an exceptionally humid August afternoon and she has not [… read more]
Contrasted CT-angiography of the chest, often called a “PE protocol CT,” has dramatically improved the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. When used in conjunction with validated clinical decision tools like modified Wells criteria, CT-angiography is highly sensitive (good at detecting PE when it’s there and ruling it out when it’s not) and specific (generating few false-positive [… read more]
Cancers can cause pulmonary embolism, and an unprovoked PE may signal an undiscovered cancer lurking in the body. In older studies, as many as 1 in 10 patients with unprovoked PE were diagnosed with cancer within a year. (The current terminology is that a PE is provoked if associated with a known cancer or another provoking factor, but [… read more]
New oral anticoagulants like dabigatran, apixaban and rivaroxaban have advantages over warfarin: not requiring regular monitoring for efficacy; faster onset of action; shorter half-lives. Unlike warfarin, they’ve had the significant disadvantage of having no proven antidote for the bleeding that inevitably occurs when any anticoagulant is given to thousands of people. [lawsuits] Boehringer Ingelheim, makers [… read more]
Not long ago, doctors were taught that 6 months of anticoagulation was plenty for patients with unprovoked pulmonary embolism. That standard was never based on long-term outcomes studies. And as longer-range data started to come in — gulp — it was clear that large numbers of people treated with 6-month warfarin courses after unprovoked PE [… read more]
“Bridging” anticoagulation — usually, interrupting chronic warfarin therapy, starting injectable or intravenous heparin, stopping just before an invasive procedure, restarting heparin and warfarin after, then stopping heparin — is a cumbersome and common practice in medicine. A new paper in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that for most patients taking anticoagulation after deep venous thrombosis (DVT) [… read more]
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