Score IDs patients with upper extremity DVT at low risk

(HealthDay)—For patients with upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT), six easily available factors can be used to create a score that identifies those at low risk of adverse events during the first week, according to a study published online May 18 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Vladimir Rosa-Salazar, M.D., from the Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca in Murcia, Spain, and colleagues used data from a registry to identify patients with upper-extremity DVT who were at risk for pulmonary embolism (PE), major bleeding, or death within the first week. The authors recruited 1,135 outpatients with upper-extremity DVT.

The researchers found that 0.26 percent of participants experienced PE, 0.18 percent had major bleeding, and 0.35 percent died during the first week. Patients were assigned points for chronic heart failure, creatinine clearance levels, recent bleeding, abnormal platelet count, recent immobility, and cancer. Sixty-seven percent of the patients scored ≤1 point and were classified as low risk. The rate of the composite outcome was 0.26 percent among low-risk patients, compared with 1.86 percent for other patients (C-statistic, 0.73).

"Using six easily available variables, we identified outpatients with upper-extremity DVT at low risk for adverse events within the first week," the authors write. "These data may help to safely treat more patients at home."