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Thromb Haemost 2013; 110(04): 834-843
DOI: 10.1160/TH13-02-0132
New Technologies, Diagnostic Tools and Drugs
Schattauer GmbH

Dynamics of case-fatalilty rates of recurrent thromboembolism and major bleeding in patients treated for venous thromboembolism

Ramón Lecumberri
1   Hematology Service, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
,
Ana Alfonso
1   Hematology Service, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
,
David Jiménez
2   Department of Pneumonology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
,
Carmen Fernández Capitán
3   Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain
,
Paolo Prandoni
4   Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Sciences, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
,
Philip S. Wells
5   Chief and Chair Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, Ottawa Ontario, Canada
,
Gemma Vidal
6   Department of Internal Medicine, Corporació Sanitaria Universitaria Parc Taulí, Sabadell, Barcelona, Spain
,
Giovanni Barillari
7   Department of Internal Medicine, Center for Hemorrhagic and Thrombotic Disorders, Udine, Italy
,
Manuel Monreal
8   Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital Universitari Germans Trials i Pujol, Badalona, Barcelona, Spain
,
and the RIETE Investigators › Author Affiliations Financial Support:This Registry is supported by unrestricted educational grants from Sanofi Spain and Bayer Pharma AG.
Further Information

Publication History

Received: 15 February 2013

Accepted after major revision: 21 May 2013

Publication Date:
01 December 2017 (online)

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Summary

In patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE), assessment of the risk of fatal recurrent VTE and fatal bleeding during anticoagulation may help to guide intensity and duration of therapy. We aimed to provide estimates of the case-fatality rate (CFR) of recurrent VTE and major bleeding during anticoagulation in a ‘real life’ population, and to assess these outcomes according to the initial presentation of VTE and its etiology. The study included 41,826 patients with confirmed VTE from the RIETE registry who received different durations of anticoagulation (mean 7.8 ± 0.6 months). During 27,110 patient-years, the CFR was 12.1% (95% CI, 10.2–14.2) for recurrent VTE, and 19.7% (95% CI, 17.4–22.1) for major bleeding. During the first three months of anticoagulant therapy, the CFR of recurrent VTE was 16.1% (95% CI, 13.6–18.9), compared to 2.0% (95% CI, 0–4.2) beyond this period. The CFR of bleeding was 20.2% (95% CI, 17.5–23.1) during the first three months, compared to 18.2% (95% CI, 14.0–23.2) beyond this period. The CFR of recurrent VTE was higher in patients initially presenting with PE (18.5%; 95% CI, 15.3–22.1) than in those with DVT (6.3%; 95% CI, 4.5–8.6), and in patients with provoked VTE (16.3%; 95% CI, 13.6–19.4) than in those with unprovoked VTE (5.5%; 95% CI, 3.5–8.0). In conclusion, the CFR of recurrent VTE decreased over time during anticoagulation, while the CFR of major bleeding remained stable. The CFR of recurrent VTE was higher in patients initially presenting with PE and in those with provoked VTE.

Keywords

Deep-vein thrombosis - pulmonary embolism - major bleeding - recurrent thromboembolism - case-fatality rate

* A full list of RIETE investigators is given in the Appendix.


 

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