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The decision on treatment after a first venous thromboembolism (VTE) to prevent recurrences may be influenced by many factors. The prospective, observational, WHITE study aimed to analyze how this issue was tackled in every-day clinical practice in various countries, which have sensibly different socio-economic conditions and healthcare systems. Doctors active in 79 Internal or Vascular clinical centers in 7 countries (China, Czechia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, and Tunisia) enrolled VTE patients after the maintenance treatment phase. The present report analyzed information, collected in the central database, regarding the baseline characteristics, index events, type and duration of anticoagulant therapy and decision on post-maintenance treatment. From April 2018 to December 2020, 1240 patients were enrolled, 58% with an unprovoked index event. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were used in > 85% of all cases in China, Poland, Portugal, Russia and Czechia, in 52% in Slovakia and in no patient in Tunisia. The maintenance anticoagulation lasted in average approximately 6 months. Altogether, anticoagulation was stopped in 20%, extended in about 50%, regardless of whether the event was unprovoked or provoked and shifted to antithrombotics (mainly sulodexide or aspirin) in the remaining patients. In conclusion, some differences in VTE patient management were found between countries. The provoked/unprovoked nature of the index event, instead, was not the prevalent criterion to drive the decision on extension of anticoagulation, without large variations between countries. DOACs were the most widely used anticoagulant drugs, whereas > 25% of patients received antithrombotic drugs instead of anticoagulants as extended treatment. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11739-021-02765-1.

Background International guidelines recommend at least three months anticoagulation in all patients after acute venous thromboembolism (VTE) and suggest those with unprovoked events be considered for indefinite anticoagulation if the risk of recurrence is high and the risk of bleeding during treatment non-high. Other authors have recently argued against using a dichotomy unprovoked/provoked events to decide on anticoagulation duration and suggest instead using overall risk factors present in each patient as the basis for deciding. Aim This sub-analysis of the WHITE study aimed at assessing the reasons for the treatment decisions taken by doctors in different countries. Results 1240 patients were recruited in 7 countries (China, Czechia, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Slovakia, and Tunisia). Anticoagulation was extended in 51.7% and 49.3% of patients with unprovoked or provoked events (n.s.); stopped in 15.4% versus 28.9% ( P 83% of cases) given to continue anticoagulation, regardless of nature and site of the index events, followed by risk of bleeding and presence of PTS signs. Conclusion On average, attending physicians estimated the risk of recurrence in real life conditions, and the consequent therapeutic decision, using all the information available, not limiting to the location or nature of the index event.