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Risk stratification is recommended for patients with pulmonary embolism (PE), and usually starts with the assessment of the hemodynamic status and the simplified Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index (sPESI). The influence of acute kidney injury (AKI) on the prognostic stratification has not been evaluated according to the "Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes" (KDIGO). AKI was computed according to the KDIGO definition in patients with acute PE in the RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbolica) registry. Patients with hemodynamic instability were considered high-risk. Normotensive patients were stratified according to the sPESI score (low-risk: sPESI = 0; intermediate-risk: sPESI > 0). The primary outcome was all-cause 30-day mortality. Secondary outcomes were major bleeding and VTE recurrences during the same period. Among 30,532 patients with PE, 1108 (3.6%) were classified to be at high-risk, 10,577 (34.6%) at low-risk, and the remaining 18,847 (61.8%) at intermediate-risk of adverse events. At baseline, 7879 (26%) had AKI. Overall, 1543 of 30,532 patients (5.1%) died within the first 30 days. The presence of AKI was associated with increased mortality rates in all subgroups of patients: in those at low-risk it increased from 0.46 to 3%, in intermediate-risk from 5.4 to 10%, and in high-risk patients from 9.4 to 18%. The presence of AKI was also associated with an increased risk of major bleeding in all subgroups. The addition of the AKI status to the sPESI score improved the prediction of the 30-day mortality and may be particularly helpful for decisions such as identification of low-risk patient for home discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isolated distal deep–vein thrombosis (DVT, infra-popliteal DVT without pulmonary embolism) is a common presentation of venous thromboembolism (VTE), but was an exclusion criterion from the pivotal trials that validated the use of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) for VTE management. Using data from the international RIETE registry, we analyzed and compared trends in DOACs prescription between January 2011 and June 2019 in patients with distal vs. proximal DVT. We also assessed DOACs' prescriptions and compared the outcomes (VTE recurrence, bleeding and death) of distal DVT patients treated with DOACs vs. those on vitamin K antagonists (VKAs). 2308 patients with distal DVT and 11,364 patients with proximal DVT were included in the current analysis. DOACs were more frequently prescribed in patients with distal than proximal DVT (25% vs. 16%, p < 0.001). DOACs use increased sharply during the observation period (P < 0.001 for trend). In 2018, 56% of patients with distal DVT received DOACs. Distal DVT patients treated with rivaroxaban or edoxaban received the dose recommended for VTE management in most (> 85%) cases. Patients treated with apixaban were older, more likely to have underlying conditions than patients treated with rivaroxaban and, in most cases (> 75%), did not receive the recommended 1-week loading dose for acute VTE management. Outcomes between distal DVT patients treated with VKAs or DOACs appeared to be similar. In patients with distal DVT, DOACs have become the most common anticoagulant regimen. Specific trials are needed to determine the optimal DOACs dose regimen for treatment of distal DVT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knee arthroscopy is the most common orthopedic procedure worldwide. While incidence of post-arthroscopy venous thromboembolic events (VTE) is low, treatment patterns and patient outcomes have not been described. Patients from the “Registro Informatizado Enfermedad TromboEmbolica” who had confirmed post-arthroscopy VTE were compared to patients with provoked, post bone-fracture, and to patients with unprovoked VTE. Baseline characteristics, presenting signs and symptoms, treatment and outcomes including recurrent VTE, bleeds or death were compared. A total of 101 patients with post-arthroscopy VTE and 19,218 patients with unprovoked VTE were identified. Post-arthroscopy patients were younger (49.5 vs. 66 years, P < 0.0001) and had less history of VTE [5.9% vs. 20%, OR 0.26 (0.11-0.59)]. Among patients with isolated DVT, there were fewer proximal DVT in the post-arthroscopy group [40% vs. 86%, OR 0.11 (0.06-0.19)]. Treatment duration was shorter in the post-arthroscopy group (174 ± 140 vs. 311 ± 340 days, P < 0.0001) and more often with DOAC [OR 3.67 (1.95-6.89)]. Recurrent VTE occurred in 6.18 (1.96-14.9) and 11.9 (11.0-12.8) per 100 patient years [HR 0.52 (0.16-1.26)] after treatment in the post-arthroscopy and unprovoked groups, respectively. Recurrent VTE occurred in 5.17 (1.31-14.1) per 100 patient years in a separate post bone-fracture group (n = 147), also not statistically different than the post-arthroscopy recurrence rate. After anticoagulation cessation, some patients post-knee arthroscopy develop VTE. While our small sample size precludes drawing firm conclusions, this signal should warrant further research into the optimal treatment duration for these patients, as some patients may be at increased risk for long-term recurrence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In patients receiving anticoagulant therapy for venous thromboembolism (VTE), the important issue of anemia influence on the risk of bleeding has not been consistently studied. We used the large registry data RIETE (Registro Informatizado Enfermedad Tromboembólica) to compare the rate of major bleeding in patients receiving anticoagulant therapy for VTE according to the presence or absence of anemia at baseline. Patients with or without cancer were separately studied. Until August 2016, 63492 patients had been enrolled. Of these, 21652 (34%) had anemia and 14312 (23%) had cancer. Anemia was found in 57% of the patients with cancer and in 28% without (odds ratio 3.46; 95% CI 3.33-3.60). During the course of anticoagulant therapy, 680 patients with cancer had a major bleeding event (gastrointestinal tract 43%, intracranial 14%, hematoma 12%). Cancer patients with anemia had a higher rate of major bleeding (rate ratio [RR]: 2.52; 95% CI 2.14-2.97) and fatal bleeding (RR 2.73; 95% CI 1.95-3.86) than those without anemia. During the course of anticoagulation, 1133 patients without cancer had major bleeding (gastrointestinal tract 32%, hematoma 24%, intracranial 21%). Patients with anemia had a higher rate of major bleeding (RR 2.84; 95% CI 2.52-2.39) and fatal bleeding (RR 2.76; 95% CI 2.07-3.67) than those without. On a multivariable analysis, anemia independently predicted the risk for major bleeding in patients with and without cancer (hazard ratios: 1.66; 95% CI 1.40-1.96 and 1.95; 95% CI 1.72-2.20, respectively). During anticoagulation for VTE, both cancer- and non-cancer anemic patients had a higher risk for major bleeding than those without anemia. In anemic patients (with or without cancer), the rate of major bleeding during the course of anticoagulant therapy exceeded the rate of VTE recurrences. In patients without anemia the rate of major bleeding was lower than the rate of VTE recurrences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]