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Conservative perioperative anticoagulation management in patients with chronic venous thromboembolic disease: a cohort study.
J Thromb Haemost. 2012 Nov;10(11):2298-304
Authors: Skeith L, Taylor J, Lazo-Langner A, Kovacs MJ
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Guidelines for perioperative warfarin management in patients with venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) are largely based on expert opinion.
OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness and safety of a conservative perioperative anticoagulation strategy in patients with VTE on chronic warfarin therapy. Our center uses a conservative bridging approach for chronic VTE patients consisting of withholding warfarin for 5 days preoperatively, with prophylactic low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) post-procedure only if patients are admitted to hospital.
PATIENTS/METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective cohort study. During the study period (1997-2011) there were 634 procedures in 416 patients that were reviewed for postoperative outcomes at 30 and 90 days.
RESULTS: Of the 634 procedures, 156 procedures (24.6%) were completed as inpatients. Pre- and post-procedure LMWH bridging was used in 15 (2.4%) and 152 (24.0%) of all procedures, respectively. The 30-day VTE incidence was 0.32% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.087-1.14), all non-fatal DVTs. The 30-day incidence of major and total bleeding events was 1.26% (95% CI 0.64-2.47) and 3.00% (95% CI 1.93-4.63), respectively. The all-cause mortality rate was 0.32% (95% CI 0.087-1.14) at 30 days; two patients died from arterial thrombosis events.
CONCLUSIONS: A randomized controlled trial is needed to provide definitive conclusions but a conservative bridging approach appears promising.
PMID: 22925003 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]