Thromboprophylaxis: medical recommendations and hospital programs

Assessment of characteristics associated with pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis use in hospitalized patients: a cohort study of 10,016 patients

The aim of the study was to evaluate patient characteristics associated with pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis (PTP) use/nonuse in a general tertiary hospital cohort. Eligible patients were classified according to venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk category by trained nurses. Either standard or low-molecular weight heparin was recommended to intermediate or high-risk VTE patients. Adopting the recommended PTP was at the physician's discretion. At discharge, PTP use was recorded. PTP was recommended to 10,016 patients, of whom 2165 (21.6%) received the recommended thromboprophylaxis. In the multivariate logistic regression, PTP use/nonuse remained independently associated with female sex [odds ratio (OR) 0.75; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.68-0.84], age (OR 1.04; 95% CI 1.03-1.04), being admitted to the Gynecology-Obstetrics (OR 0.31; 95% CI 0.25-0.39) or surgery (OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.12-1.42), thrombophilia (OR 5.15; 95% CI 2.04-12.98), previous VTE event (OR 2.98; 95% CI 1.78-4.98), diabetes (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.61-2.10), acute myocardial infarction (OR 5.87; 95% CI 4.81-7.17), and admission to a major orthopedic surgery (OR 3.03; 95% CI 1.98-4.64). PTP in this hospital population was grossly underused. Eight independent variables predicted use/nonuse of PTP. Targeting variables related to the use and nonuse of PTP is important to direct the application of thromboprophylaxis.