Hospital-related first venous thromboembolism and risk of recurrence

Diagnostic accuracy of D-Dimer testing for recurrent venous thromboembolism: A systematic review with meta-analysis.: VTE recurrence and D-dimer

OBJECTIVE

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence is a major concern after a first symptomatic episode, potentially impacting survival and healthcare needs in community, hospital and rehabilitation settings. We evaluated the association of D-Dimer positivity after oral anticoagulant therapy (OAT) discontinuation with VTE recurrence.

METHODS

PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus and EMBASE databases were systematically searched. Differences were expressed as Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI). Pooled sensitivity, specificity, positive (PLR) and negative likelihood ratio (NLR), and summary ROC (sROC) curve were calculated.

RESULTS

Twenty-six articles on 10,725 VTE patients showed that the absolute risk of recurrence was 16.1% (95%CI: 13.2%-19.5%) among 4,049 patients with a positive D-Dimer and 7.4% (95%CI: 6.0%-9.0%) in 6,676 controls (OR: 2.1, 95%CI: 1.7-2.8, P<0.001), with an attributable risk of 54.0%. sROC curve of the association between positive D-Dimer and recurrence showed a diagnostic AUC of 63.8 (95%CI: 60.3-67.4), with a pooled sensitivity of 54.3% (95%CI: 51.3%-57.3%), specificity of 64.2% (95%CI: 63.2-65.1), PLR of 1.53 (95%CI: 1.37-1.72), and NLR of 0.71 (95%CI: 0.60-0.84). Subgroup and meta-regression analyses suggested that a positive D-Dimer may have a higher discriminatory ability for patients with provoked events, confirmed by better pooled diagnostic indexes for recurrence and a diagnostic AUC of 70.6 (95%CI: 63.8-77.4). Regression models showed that the rate of OAT resumption after the evidence of D-Dimer positivity was inversely associated with VTE recurrence (Z-score: -3.91, P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

D-Dimer positivity after OAT may identify VTE patients at higher risk of recurrence, with a better diagnostic accuracy for provoked events.

D-dimer levels and risk of recurrence following provoked venous thromboembolism: findings from the RIETE registry

BACKGROUND

Patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) secondary to transient risk factors may develop VTE recurrences after discontinuing anticoagulation. Identifying at-risk patients could help to guide the duration of therapy.

METHODS

We used the RIETE database to assess the prognostic value of d-dimer testing after discontinuing anticoagulation to identify patients at increased risk for recurrences. Transient risk factors were classified as major (postoperative) or minor (pregnancy, oestrogen use, immobilization or recent travel).

RESULTS

In December 2018, 1655 VTE patients with transient risk factors (major 460, minor 1195) underwent d-dimer measurements after discontinuing anticoagulation. Amongst patients with major risk factors, the recurrence rate was 5.74 (95% CI: 3.19-9.57) events per 100 patient-years in those with raised d-dimer levels and 2.68 (95% CI: 1.45-4.56) in those with normal levels. Amongst patients with minor risk factors, the rates were 7.79 (95% CI: 5.71-10.4) and 3.34 (95% CI: 2.39-4.53), respectively. Patients with major risk factors and raised d-dimer levels (n = 171) had a nonsignificantly higher rate of recurrences (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.14; 95% CI: 0.96-4.79) than those with normal levels. Patients with minor risk factors and raised d-dimer levels (n = 382) had a higher rate of recurrences (HR: 2.34; 95% CI: 1.51-3.63) than those with normal levels. On multivariate analysis, raised d-dimers (HR: 1.74; 95% CI: 1.09-2.77) were associated with an increased risk for recurrences in patients with minor risk factors, not in those with major risk factors.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with raised d-dimer levels after discontinuing anticoagulant therapy for VTE provoked by a minor transient risk factor were at an increased risk for recurrences.