New Paradigms of Extended Thromboprophylaxis in Medically Ill Patients

Patient-reported barriers for adherence to prophylactic enoxaparin after orthopedic trauma surgery

INTRODUCTION

Venous thromboembolism following orthopedic trauma surgery remains prevalent despite prophylaxis being a standard of care. Enoxaparin injection is a commonly utilized prophylaxis regimen among high-risk patients. Patient-reported rates of nonadherence and barriers to enoxaparin use are not described in the literature. A better understanding of these barriers and their impact on adherence to post-discharge prophylaxis regimens may shed light on persistent outcomes gaps.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were administered to adult patients prescribed prophylactic enoxaparin and presenting to orthopedic surgery outpatient clinic at an urban level 1 trauma center for a post-operative appointment following traumatic injury from April to July 2023. Patients self-reported their age, gender, race, and mobility. Inductive thematic analysis with three-reviewer consensus identified common barriers among responses. Adherence rates were calculated by dividing patients' estimated number of missed doses over total prescribed doses at the point of inquiry.

RESULTS

We identified 154 eligible patients through chart review, and 50 enrolled and interviewed. Participants had a mean age of 37 years. Of 50 participants, 20 identified as female; 25 identified as Black or African American, 16 as White, 5 as Hispanic, 2 as Asian, and 2 as multiracial. Twenty-one participants were non-ambulatory at time of interview. Mean and median patient-reported adherence were 64.5 % (SD 35.5) and 70.5 % (IQR 33-100) respectively. Five patients reported complete nonadherence, while 17 patients reported perfect adherence. Every participant reporting complete nonadherence identified as Black or African American, as compared to 8 out of 17 reporting perfect adherence. Despite acknowledging a twice-daily prescription, 17 patients reported once-daily rather than twice-daily use. Inductive thematic analysis revealed the following six barriers to prophylaxis adherence (number of participants reporting): Inconvenience (18 patients), Pain (16), Fear (12), Acquisition (7), Bruising (7), and Mechanism (7). Altogether, 40 patients endorsed at least one barrier to adherence.

DISCUSSION & CONCLUSIONS

Most patients face barriers to adherence with post-discharge prophylactic enoxaparin, and the resultant rates of adherence are low. This may contribute to persistent outcomes gaps in the orthopedic trauma population despite prophylaxis standards. Changes in prescribing patterns and patient engagement techniques may improve post-operative thromboembolic outcomes.

Prophylactic Anticoagulation in Patients with Cancer: When and How?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Cancer-associated thrombosis is a leading cause of death among patients with cancer. Historically, thromboprophylaxis efforts have focused on the highest risk patients with cancer, including post-operative patients and hospitalized patients. This review covers not only thromboprophylaxis for these groups but also emerging data supporting prophylaxis in ambulatory medical oncology patients.

RECENT FINDINGS

Several leading guidelines, backed by clinical trial data, now support the use of direct oral anticoagulants for select high-risk outpatients for primary thromboprophylaxis. However, uptake of these findings remains low. Pharmacologic venous thromboembolism prophylaxis strategies continue to improve. However, it remains challenging to balance competing risks of bleeding and thrombosis. The morbidity and mortality associated with cancer associated thrombosis may be preventable. Understanding advancements in risk prediction, anticoagulant options, and implementation of existing data, is critical to provide optimal patient care.

To Anticoagulate or Not to Anticoagulate in COVID-19: Lessons after 2 Years

A hypercoagulable state associated with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been well documented and is believed to be strongly supported by a proinflammatory state. The hypercoagulable state in turn results in increased incidence of arterial and venous thromboembolism (VTE) seen in hospitalized COVID-19 when compared with hospitalized non-COVID-19 patient cohorts. Moreover, patients with arterial or VTE and COVID-19 have higher mortality compared with COVID-19 patients without arterial or VTE. Prevention of arterial or VTE thus remains an essential question in the management of COVID-19 patients, especially because of high rates of reported microvascular and macrovascular thrombosis. This has prompted multiple randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating different anticoagulation strategies in COVID-19 patients at various stages of the disease. Herein, we review findings from RCTs in the past 2 years of antithrombotic therapy in critically ill hospitalized patients, noncritically ill hospitalized patients, patients postdischarge from the hospital, and outpatients. RCTs in critically ill patients demonstrated therapeutic dose anticoagulation does not improve outcomes and has more bleeding than prophylaxis dose anticoagulant in these patients. Trials in noncritically ill hospitalized patients showed a therapeutic dose anticoagulation with a heparin formulation might improve clinical outcomes. Anticoagulation with a direct oral anticoagulant posthospital discharge may improve outcomes, although there is a large RCT in progress. Nonhospitalized COVID-19 patients have an insufficient burden of events to be candidates for antithrombotic therapy. Anticoagulation in pregnant and lactating patients with COVID-19, as well as antiplatelet therapy for COVID-19, is also reviewed.

Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolic Events in COVID-19 Patients after Hospital Discharge: Aspects to Consider

Venous thromboembolic (VTE) events have been increasingly reported in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) after hospital discharge. Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the most frequent type of post-discharge VTE complication. Levels of procoagulants (fibrinogen, factor VIII, von Willebrand factor), and D-dimer are higher during the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Patients with more severe inflammatory and procoagulant response experience higher VTE rates during hospitalization, while the risk after hospital discharge have not been well characterized. The incidence of VTE events following hospitalization is heterogeneous, ranging from low (3.1 per 1000 discharges), to 1.8%, which appears higher than for other medical condition. This discrepancy was partially explained by the differences in VTE screening and follow-up strategies, and by the period when the information about the VTE was collected. These data were based mainly on observational and retrospective studies; however, evolving data are to come after the completion of the prospective trials. The current guidelines do not recommend routine post-hospital VTE prophylaxis for COVID-19 patients but recommend it for all hospitalized adults. A careful risk-benefit assessment of VTE probability should be performed, to determine whether an individual patient may merit post-discharge thromboprophylaxis. A score such IMPROVE DD can help identify the patient who will potentially benefit but is also important to consider the bleeding risk and the feasibility. The optimal duration and the type of extended thromboprophylaxis is still under debate (from a minimum of 14 days to a maximum of 42 days), and future studies will help to validate these protocols in different populations. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs), warfarin and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) are recommended, but low doses of DOACs rather than LMVH or warfarin were predominantly used in most patients. Finally, the COVID-19 patients should be educated to recognize and advised to seek urgent medical care should VTE events occur after hospital discharge.

An update on the global use of risk assessment models and thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized patients with medical illnesses from the World Thrombosis Day steering committee: Systematic review and meta-analysis

INTRODUCTION

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. The majority of VTE events are hospital-associated. In 2008, the Epidemiologic International Day for the Evaluation of Patients at Risk for Venous Thromboembolism in the Acute Hospital Care Setting (ENDORSE) multinational cross-sectional study reported that only approximately 40% of medical patients at risk of VTE received adequate thromboprophylaxis.

METHODS

In our systematic review and meta-analysis, we aimed at providing updated figures concerning the use of thromboprophylaxis globally. We focused on: (a) the frequency of patients with an indication to thromboprophylaxis according with individual models; (b) the use of adequate thromboprophylaxis; and (c) reported contraindications to thromboprophylaxis. Observational nonrandomized studies or surveys focusing on medically ill patients were considered eligible.

RESULTS

After screening, we included 27 studies from 20 countries for a total of 137 288 patients. Overall, 50.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 41.9-59.1, I2 99%) of patients had an indication to thromboprophylaxis: of these, 54.5% (95% CI: 46.2-62.6, I2 99%) received adequate thromboprophylaxis. The use of adequate thromboprophylaxis was 66.8% in Europe (95% CI: 50.7-81.1, I2 98%), 44.9% in Africa (95% CI: 31.8-58.4, I2 96%), 37.6% in Asia (95% CI: 25.7-50.3, I2 97%), 58.3% in South America (95% CI: 31.1-83.1, I2 99%), and 68.6% in North America (95% CI: 64.9-72.6, I2 96%). No major differences in adequate thromboprophylaxis use were found across risk assessment models. Bleeding, thrombocytopenia, and renal/hepatic failure were the most frequently reported contraindications to thromboprophylaxis.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of anticoagulants for VTE prevention has been proven effective and safe, but thromboprophylaxis prescriptions are still unsatisfactory among hospitalized medically ill patients around the globe with marked geographical differences.

COVID-19, thrombosis and pregnancy

Increased thromboembolic events have been seen in patients hospitalised with COVID-19 pneumonia, especially those with acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring intensive care support. The coronavirus pandemic has had varied effects on pregnant women globally. Concerns about the potential for thromboembolic events in the prothrombotic period of pregnancy and puerperium when combined with COVID-19 infection, and the impact this may have on maternal and infant morbidity and mortality has led to the development of expert-led guidance providing increased use of thromboprophylaxis in this group. We discuss the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on national and international guidance to prevent thromboembolic events in pregnant women.

Prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19 related venous thromboembolism

COVID-19 pneumonia has been associated with high rates of thrombo-embolic complications, mostly venous thromboembolism (VTE), which is thought to be a combination of conventional VTE and in situ immunothrombosis in the pulmonary vascular tree. The incidence of thrombotic complications is dependent on setting (intensive care unit (ICU) versus general ward) and the threshold for performing diagnostic tests (screening versus diagnostic algorithms triggered by symptoms). Since these thrombotic complications are associated with in-hospital mortality, all current guidelines and consensus papers propose pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Several trials are ongoing to study the optimal intensity of anticoagulation for this purpose. As for the management of thrombotic complications, treatment regimens from non-COVID-19 guidelines can be adapted, with choice of anticoagulant drug class dependent on the situation. Parenteral anticoagulation is preferred for patients on ICUs or with impending clinical deterioration, while oral treatment can be started in stable patients. This review describes current knowledge on incidence and pathophysiology of COVID-19 associated VTE and provides an overview of guideline recommendations on thromboprophylaxis and treatment of established VTE in COVID-19 patients.

[Pharmacological Thromboprophylaxis in Acutely Ill Hospitalized Medical Patients]

Venous thromboembolic events (VTE) occur in approximately 50% of cases during or following hospitalization; VTE are a major cause of morbidity and mortality. Thromboprophylaxis for 6 to 14 days with heparins or fondaparinux has been demonstrated to be effective in VTE prevention in patients hospitalized for acute medical illnesses and reduced mobility. Nevertheless, the level of recommendation has been gradually downgraded as the benefit has been mainly demonstrated on the basis of systematic imaging diagnosed events. Direct oral anticoagulants have been assessed only as an extended prophylaxis, and are currently not recommended in medical thromboprophylaxis. Assessing the risk of VTE and bleeding in medical patients is complex. VTE and bleeding risk assessment scores were constructed but have not been validated. In order to improve the adequacy of prescriptions for thromboprophylaxis, the impact of different interventions has been the subject of several studies but these yielded varying results. The aim of this review is to analyze the indications for thromboprophylaxis in a medical setting with the latest available data.

Coronavirus Disease 2019-Associated Thrombosis and Coagulopathy: Review of the Pathophysiological Characteristics and Implications for Antithrombotic Management

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, which has posed a significant threat to global health. Although the infection is frequently asymptomatic or associated with mild symptoms, in a small proportion of patients it can produce an intense inflammatory and prothrombotic state that can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiple organ failure, and death. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, highly expressed in the respiratory system, has been identified as a functional receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2. Notably, angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 is also expressed in the cardiovascular system, and there are multiple cardiovascular implications of COVID-19. Cardiovascular risk factors and cardiovascular disease have been associated with severe manifestations and poor prognosis in patients with COVID-19. More important, patients with COVID-19 may have thrombotic and coagulation abnormalities, promoting a hypercoagulable state and resulting in an increased rate of thrombotic and thromboembolic events. This review will describe the pathophysiological characteristics of the cardiovascular involvement following infection by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2, with a focus on thrombotic and thromboembolic manifestations and implications for antithrombotic management.

Rivaroxaban: Expanded Role in Cardiovascular Disease Management-A Literature Review

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are widely used for the prevention of stroke in nonvalvular atrial fibrillation, treatment of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and as prophylaxis after hip and knee surgery after approval by the Food and Drug Administration. In the last decade, DOACs were studied for various indications; this review is focused on rivaroxaban, a factor Xa inhibitor, which is used in an expanded evidence-based fashion for coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, heart failure, malignancy, and prophylaxis of deep venous thrombosis in acute medical illnesses.

Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in 2020 and Beyond

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third most common cause of vascular mortality worldwide and comprises deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). In this review, we discuss how an understanding of VTE epidemiology and the results of thromboprophylaxis trials have shaped the current approach to VTE prevention. We will discuss modern thromboprophylaxis as it pertains to genetic risk factors, exogenous hormonal therapies, pregnancy, surgery, medical hospitalization, cancer, and what is known thus far about VTE in COVID-19 infection.