The Worcester Venous Thromboembolism Study: A Population-Based Study of the Clinical Epidemiology of Venous Thromboembolism

摘要

Venous thromboembolism (blood clots of the legs and lungs) is an important cause of hospital related morbidity and mortality. We describe the occurrence of this disease, the characteristics of affected patients, and associated outcomes in a typical New England community. A total of 587 Worcester residents developed venous thromboembolism in 1999 – approximately 128 events per 100,000 population. Three quarters of patients developed their venous thromboembolism in the outpatient setting – a substantial proportion of the patients had undergone recent surgery or had a recent prior hospitalization. Less than half of patients received anticoagulant prophylaxis to prevent venous thromboembolism during high-risk periods before their event. While most patients were treated with anticoagulants for their event, a second venous thromboembolism occurred in 5% of patients. The underutilization of prophylaxis prior to venous thromboembolism, and relatively high 30-day recurrence rates, suggest a continued need for the improvement of venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and management in the community.