Long-Term Survival After Venous Thromboembolism: A Prospective Cohort Study

Severe Urine Retention and Deep Vein Thrombosis: A Case Report and Review of the Literature on an Unusual Association

Acute urine retention is the most common urologic emergency, and it usually presents with abdominal pain and an inability to pass urine. The distended bladder in urine retention can be enormously large, raising the intra-abdominal pressure and compressing the iliac veins draining the lower limbs and pelvis. Many cases have been reported to have deep vein thrombosis (DVT)-like features with urine retention that resolves with bladder decompression. In rare cases, urine retention can lead to DVT, particularly in young patients. We report a case of a young female patient with a huge distended bladder who devolved extensive venous thrombosis bilaterally. The report sheds light on this unusual complication of acute urine retention and reviews the existing literature on the topic.

Secondary prevention of venous thromboembolism: Predictors and outcomes of guideline adherence in a long-term prospective cohort study

Background

Prevention of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) is considered a main goal of VTE management. However, the extent to which physicians adhere to the recommendations from evidence-based guidelines is unknown.

Aim

From a large, prospective clinical cohort, we aimed to (1) quantify the adherence of treatment recommendations to evidence-based guidelines and establish its predictors, and (2) estimate its impact on clinical outcomes and costs in patients with VTE.

Methods

We included 6'243 consecutive patients with VTE treated at the university outpatient unit. Detailed clinical characteristics and treatment recommendations were recorded. Adherence of treatment recommendations to evidence-based guidelines at risk assessment was assessed in terms of duration of anticoagulant treatment. Data on death were obtained from the Swiss Central Compensation Office. Health care claims data recorded between 2014 and 2019 were retrieved from Helsana, one of the largest Swiss health insurance companies.

Results

The adherence to evidence-based guidelines was 36.1%. Among patients with non-adherence, overtreatment was present in 70.1%. Significant patient-related predictors of guideline adherence were (a) age above 50 years, (b) male sex, (c) pulmonary embolism, (d) unprovoked VTE, (e) multiple VTE, (f) laboratory tests not ordered, and (g) various cardiovascular comorbidities. Non-adherence was not significantly associated with mortality, hospitalization, admission to nursing home, and costs.

Conclusions

The adherence to evidence-based guidelines was low, and several unrelated predictors appeared. Although these results need to be confirmed in other settings, they highlight the need for implementation of evidence-based guidelines in clinical practice.

Current Knowledge on Factor V Leiden Mutation as a Risk Factor for Recurrent Venous Thromboembolism: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background

Thrombophilia screening is widely done in clinical practice, and it is claimed that the extent of venous thromboembolism (VTE) recurrence risk in patients with common defects is still not fully understood.

Aim

We aimed to summarize data of all observational studies prospectively assessing the association of heterozygous factor V Leiden (FVL) mutation and recurrent VTE in patients with VTE, and to calculate pooled relative risks (RR), overall and in various subgroups.

Methods

We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases for cohort studies prospectively assessing VTE recurrence in patients with and without FVL mutation (PROSPERO: CRD42021182800). Data were extracted on cohort and study-level. The methodological quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). RR were calculated overall and in subgroups using a random-effects model.

Results

From 31 cohorts, 24 studies were finally included summarizing 13,571 patients. Heterozygous FVL mutation was identified in 2,840 individuals (21%). The methodological quality was estimated to be high in 20 studies (83%). The overall RR was 1.46 (95% CI: 1.31, 1.64), consistent across subgroups.

Conclusions

Pooling all high-quality epidemiological data, the risk of recurrent VTE was increased by 46% in patients with heterozygous FVL mutation. Against the background of established risk factors, the FVL mutation plays only a marginal role in the risk assessment for recurrent VTE.

Association Between Monocyte Count and Preoperative Deep Venous Thrombosis in Older Patients with hip Fracture: A Retrospective Study

Purpose

To analyze the relationship between monocyte count and preoperative deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in older patients with hip fracture.

Methods

Consecutive older patients with hip fracture undergoing surgery were included from January 2014 to December 2021. Monocyte count was measured on admission, and Doppler ultrasonography was performed for DVT screening prior to surgery. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association between monocyte count and DVT.

Results

A total of 674 patients were finally included, and 128 patients (19.0%) were diagnosed with preoperative DVT. Patients with DVT exhibited a higher monocyte count than patients without DVT [0.55 (0.43-0.72) × 10⁹/L versus 0.49 (0.38-0.63) × 10⁹/L, P = 0.007]. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that a high monocyte count (> 0.6 × 10⁹/L) was independently associated with a higher risk of DVT (OR = 1.705, 95% CI: 1.121-2.593, P = 0.013), and for every 0.1 × 10⁹/L increase in monocyte count, the risk of DVT increased by 8.5% (OR = 1.085, 95% CI: 1.003-1.174, P = 0.041). Other risk factors associated with DVT included intertrochanteric fracture (OR = 1.596, 95% CI: 1.022-2.492, P = 0.040), and elevated fibrinogen level (OR = 1.236, 95% CI: 1.029-1.484, P = 0.023).

Conclusion

A high monocyte count is associated with an increased risk of DVT in older patients with hip fracture. Future studies should evaluate the potential role of monocyte in the prevention and treatment of thrombosis.