BACKGROUND: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the third leading cause of death by 2020. Recent studies reveal that pulmonary embolism (PE) may be a trigger of acute deterioration in patients with COPD. Patients with COPD have approximately twice the risk of PE than those without COPD. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to assess the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD) in India. METHODS: We conducted this prospective study on patients admitted for AE-COPD in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India. We considered the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) to reflect the occurrence of VTE. The screening tool used was a colour Doppler of the bilateral lower limbs. RESULTS: One hundred patients enrolled, were in stage II to stage IV COPD; 9% had DVT. Eight of these nine patients had unilateral DVT. Two patients had developed PE and died. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a lower prevalence of unsuspected DVT in Indian patients admitted for AE-COPD. Future prospective, randomised studies are needed to confirm the findings of the present study and to determine whether a systematic evaluation for VTE is justified in these patients, and hence, be recommended.
BACKGROUND:Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will be the third leading cause of death by 2020. Recent studies reveal that pulmonary embolism (PE) may be a trigger of acute deterioration in patients with COPD. Patients with COPD have approximately twice the risk of PE than those without COPD. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective was to assess the prevalence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with acute exacerbation of COPD (AE-COPD) in India. METHODS: We conducted this prospective study on patients admitted for AE-COPD in a tertiary care hospital in Mumbai, India. We considered the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) to reflect the occurrence of VTE. The screening tool used was a colour Doppler of the bilateral lower limbs. RESULTS: One hundred patients enrolled, were in stage II to stage IV COPD; 9% had DVT. Eight of these nine patients had unilateral DVT. Two patients had developed PE and died. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show a lower prevalence of unsuspected DVT in Indian patients admitted for AE-COPD. Future prospective, randomised studies are needed to confirm the findings of the present study and to determine whether a systematic evaluation for VTE is justified in these patients, and hence, be recommended.
Authors: Fanny W Ko; Ka Pang Chan; David S Hui; John R Goddard; Janet G Shaw; David W Reid; Ian A Yang Journal: Respirology Date: 2016-03-30 Impact factor: 6.424