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DOI: 10.1055/a-2642-0241
Performance of Bleeding Risk Scores for Major Bleeding in Anticoagulated Patients with Pulmonary Embolism: Insights from the CURES Registry-2
Funding The Fund of the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number 2023YFC2507200); the CAMS Innovation Fund for Medical Sciences (CIFMS) (grant numbers 2021-I2M-1-061, 2021-I2M-1-049); the National High Level Hospital Clinical Research Funding (grant number 2022-NHLHCRF-LX-01); and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82241029).

Abstract
Background
Most bleeding risk scores for pulmonary embolism (PE) were developed in patients receiving traditional anticoagulants. Evidence in East Asian populations and its applicability to direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) remain limited.
Methods
This post-hoc analysis was based on a multicentre, prospective study (NCT02943343) conducted from 2016 to 2021. The predictive performance of bleeding risk scores was assessed using a time-dependent area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), net reclassification improvement (NRI), and decision curve analysis (DCA). Propensity score matching (PSM) was adjusted for baseline characteristics. We analyzed the impact of initial DOAC versus low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) on outcomes. The endpoint was major bleeding (MB) within 90 days and composite outcomes (all-cause mortality, recurrent VTE, and MB).
Results
Of 7,619 patients with PE, 1.4% (107 patients) experienced MB within 90 days. The RIETE score showed a modest predictive ability (AUC: 0.70; 95% CI, 0.65–0.75) for predicting 90-day MB and demonstrated a predictive advantage in the DCA results. NRI also revealed significantly better reclassification capability than the other scores, except for HAS-BLED. Among low-risk patients classified by the RIETE score, initial DOAC treatment significantly reduced 14-day composite outcomes compared with LMWH (HR = 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02–0.93). Furthermore, DOACs at discharge did not increase the risk of MB or composite outcomes.
Conclusion
RIETE score shows modest performance in predicting MB and identifying low bleeding risk in PE patients, which could potentially guide early DOAC use. Further studies are needed to test its clinical utility, especially in East Asian populations.
Data Availability Statement
The data underlying this article cannot be shared publicly due to ethical reasons. The data will be shared on reasonable request to the corresponding author.
Authors' Contribution
Concept and design: Y.T., H.C., C.D., J.Z., Y.S., X.X., C.W., and Z.Z.; acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data: all authors; drafting of the manuscript: Y.T., H.C., C.D., M.W., L.Z., L.X., Y.Z., C.W., and Z.Z.; critical review of the manuscript for important intellectual content: all authors; statistical analysis: Y.T., J.S., Y.J., H.C., Z.C., Y.T., L.R., D.W., G.F., and S.W.; obtained funding: C.W. and Z.Z.; administrative, technical, or material support: Y.L., C.D., Q.L., P.L., Y.Y., C.W., and Z.Z.; supervision: J.W., W.X., C.W., and Z.Z. Y.T. and Z.Z. had full access to all of the data in the study and takes responsibility for the integrity of the data and the accuracy of the data analysis.
* The members of the CURES are listed in the [Supplementary Appendix] (available in the online version).
Publication History
Received: 25 December 2024
Accepted: 21 June 2025
Accepted Manuscript online:
24 June 2025
Article published online:
17 July 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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Oswald-Hesse-Straße 50, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany
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