Family history of VTE: An easy tool to score the individual risk

Current prevalence of perioperative early venous thromboembolism and risk factors in Chinese adult patients with inguinal hernia (CHAT-1)

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important postoperative complication. We investigated and analyzed the current inguinal hernia treatment methods and occurrence of early postoperative VTE in Chinese adults. This study involved data for patients with inguinal hernia hospitalized in 58 general hospitals in mainland China from January 1st, 2017 to December 31st, 2017. Data were retrospectively analyzed using a questionnaire. After data inputting and cleaning, we stratified and statistically analyzed patients' data using Caprini scores to create a high-, middle-, and low-risk group. A total of 14,322 patients with inguinal hernia were admitted to the 58 participating hospitals. After data collation and cleaning, 13,886 patients (97.0%) met our inclusion and exclusion criteria. The percentages of laparoscopic surgery and open surgery were 51.2% and 48.8%, respectively. 16 VTEs occurred during the hospitalization, accounting for 0.1% of all adverse events (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.11-0.13). The incidence of VTE was 0.2% (95% CI 0.18-0.2) in the high-risk group and 0.02% (95% CI 0.01-0.03) in the middle-risk group, based on Caprini scoring, with a significant difference (p < 0.0001). No VTE occurred in the low-risk group. Only 3,250 (23.4%) patients underwent Caprini risk assessment regarding treatment, with 13.2% receiving any prevention and only 1.2% receiving appropriate prevention. The treatment of inguinal hernia in Chinese adults has progressed somewhat; however, the evaluation and prevention of perioperative VTE was seriously neglected, in our study, and the incidence of postoperative VTE was underestimated postoperatively. Risk factors continue to be inadequately considered.

Age-and sex-specific seasonal variation of venous thromboembolism in patients with and without family history: a nationwide family study in Sweden

Seasonal variation in venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk in individuals with familial predisposition to VTE has not been explored. This nationwide study aimed to determine whether there are age- and sex-specific seasonal differences in risk of hospitalisation of VTE among individuals with and without a family history of VTE. The Swedish Multi-Generation Register was linked to Hospital Discharge Register data for the period 1964-2010. Seasonal variation in first VTE events in 1987-2010 for individuals with and without a family history of VTE (siblings or parents) was determined by several independent methods. Stratified analyses were performed according to age, sex, and VTE subtype (pulmonary embolism [PE] or deep venous thrombosis [DVT]). Seasonal variation in VTE incidence, mostly with a peak during the winter, was observed in both sexes in individuals with and without family history with overall peak-to-low ratios (PLRs) of 1.15 and 1.21, respectively. The peak day was December 25 and February 1 for those with and without a family history of VTE, respectively. Seasonal variation was strongest among individuals aged >50 years. Among individuals aged 0-25 years with a family history, the peak for VTE was in July (PLR = 1.20). Significant seasonal variation was observed for PE and DVT with the exception of DVT among those with a family history (PLR = 1.01). In conclusion, our data support the presence of a modest seasonal variation of VTE among individuals with and without a family history of VTE. However, young age and family history may modify and attenuate the effect of season on VTE.