INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of anticoagulation after venous thromboembolism (VTE) in actual clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study used the General Practice Research Database. Individuals aged 18+ years with VTE were matched to 3 controls. RESULTS: Of the 46 335 patients with VTE and 138 024 controls, 70.2% of cases and 86.6% of controls had no obvious risk factors. The mortality risk was increased substantially around the time of diagnosis (relative hazard rate [RR] around 21) but remained elevated for a further 4 years (RRs around 1.5-2.0). The mean percentage of time spent within the therapeutic range for international normalized ratio (INR) was 57.0%. The lowest rate of VTE recurrence occurred in patients with ≥70% time spent within therapeutic range (RR of 0.50, 95% CI 0.39-0.63 compared to <30%). CONCLUSIONS: Higher time spent within therapeutic INR range was associated with lower risks of VTE recurrence and death due to VTE.
INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of anticoagulation after venous thromboembolism (VTE) in actual clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study used the General Practice Research Database. Individuals aged 18+ years with VTE were matched to 3 controls. RESULTS: Of the 46 335 patients with VTE and 138 024 controls, 70.2% of cases and 86.6% of controls had no obvious risk factors. The mortality risk was increased substantially around the time of diagnosis (relative hazard rate [RR] around 21) but remained elevated for a further 4 years (RRs around 1.5-2.0). The mean percentage of time spent within the therapeutic range for international normalized ratio (INR) was 57.0%. The lowest rate of VTE recurrence occurred in patients with ≥70% time spent within therapeutic range (RR of 0.50, 95% CI 0.39-0.63 compared to <30%). CONCLUSIONS: Higher time spent within therapeutic INR range was associated with lower risks of VTE recurrence and death due to VTE.
Authors: Akash Kataruka; Xiaowen Kong; Brian Haymart; Eva Kline-Rogers; Steve Almany; Jay Kozlowski; Gregory D Krol; Scott Kaatz; Michael W McNamara; James B Froehlich; Geoffrey D Barnes Journal: Vasc Med Date: 2017-02-01 Impact factor: 3.239