Out-of-hospital treatment of venous thrombosis: socioeconomic aspects and patients' quality of life.

Low-molecular-weight heparin has been recommended as the initial treatment of choice for patients with venous thromboembolism who require anticoagulant therapy. In recent studies, outpatient management of these patients has been proposed to be as effective and safe as treatment given in the hospital. This paper outlines the results of these studies and considers the feasibility of home treatment and the consequences of such a strategy. It is concluded that home treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin in patients with venous thromboembolism leads to significant benefits in terms of increase in the quality of life of the patients and a reduction in the duration of hospital stay, thus improving healthcare efficiency.