Managing venous thromboembolism in Latin American patients: emerging results from the Brazilian Registry.

A Brazilian National Registry was established in 1999 to investigate the incidence of risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in hospitalized medical and surgical patients and to investigate the use of thromboprophylaxis in these populations. A 4-year pilot study confirmed the feasibility and value of a registry project in this region, showing a dramatic increase in the use of low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) over the study period, associated with a sixfold reduction in the incidence of symptomatic VTE. Data on more than 27,000 patients from the Brazilian Registry have revealed that almost 25% of high-risk patients and 45% of those at moderate risk currently receive no thromboprophylaxis. Among the high-risk patients-in whom general measures alone are not considered appropriate prophylaxis-42% of patients did not receive pharmacological prophylaxis with either LMWH or unfractionated heparin. The Brazilian Registry highlights the need to raise awareness of VTE risk factors and recommended prophylactic regimens in Latin America.