summary
Both, underuse and overuse of thromboprophylaxis in hospitalised medical patients
is common. We aimed to explore clinical factors associated with the use of pharmacological
or mechanical thromboprophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients at high (Geneva Risk
Score ≥ 3 points) vs low (Geneva Risk Score < 3 points) risk of venous thromboembolism.
Overall, 1,478 hospitalised medical patients from eight large Swiss hospitals were
enrolled in the prospective Explicit ASsessment of Thromboembolic RIsk and Prophylaxis
for Medical PATients in SwitzErland (ESTIMATE) cohort study. The study is registered
on ClinicalTrials. gov, number NCT01277536. Thromboprophylaxis increased stepwise
with increasing Geneva Risk Score (p< 0.001). Among the 962 high-risk patients, 366
(38 %) received no thromboprophylaxis; cancer-associated thrombocytopenia (OR 4.78,
95 % CI 2.75–8.31, p< 0.001), active bleeding on admission (OR 2.88, 95 % CI 1.69–4.92,
p< 0.001), and thrombocytopenia without cancer (OR 2.54, 95 % CI 1.31–4.95, p=0.006)
were independently associated with the absence of prophylaxis. The use of thromboprophylaxis
declined with increasing severity of thrombocytopenia (p=0.001). Among the 516 low-risk
patients, 245 (48 %) received thromboprophylaxis; none of the investigated clinical
factors predicted its use. In conclusion, in acutely ill medical patients, bleeding
and thrombocytopenia were the most important factors for the absence of thromboprophylaxis
among highrisk patients. The use of thromboprophylaxis among low-risk patients was
inconsistent, without clearly identifiable predictors, and should be addressed in
further research.
Keywords
Venous thromboembolism - internal medicine - risk assessment - thromboprophylaxis