Venous Thromboembolism Among Hospitalized Patients: Incidence and Adequacy of Thromboprophylaxis - A Retrospective Study.

PURPOSE

We aimed to determine the incidence of venous thromboembolism among hospitalized patients in Qatar as well as to analyze the adequacy of VTE assessment and prophylaxis in hospitalized patients.

DESIGN

Retrospective observational study.

SETTING

Four hospitals under Hamad Medical Corporation, Qatar.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients over the age of 18 who were hospitalized between January 2015 and December 2019 and developed venous thromboembolism during hospitalization or within a month after discharge were included.

RESULTS

During the study period, 641,994 individuals were admitted to hospitals. The inclusion criteria were satisfied by 209 of them. The mean age was 51.25 years and 54.5% were males. Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were the most common comorbidities found in the overall group. The incidence of VTE was 32.55 [95% CI 28.4, 37.3] per 100,000 admission per year [0.032%]. The annual incidence was least in 2015 (17.8 per 100,000 admissions) and highest in 2018 (44.4 per 100,000 admissions). Eighty-six subjects had DVT, and 109 had PE, whereas 14 had both. And, 67.5% of the patients developed VTE during admission while, 32.5% developed within 1 month of discharge. Moreover, 22.9% of the patients with PE developed pulmonary embolism after discharge from the hospital. VTE assessment was performed on 64.7% of the patients, and 69.7% received VTE prophylaxis in accordance with guidelines.

CONCLUSION

Although the occurrence of VTE among hospitalized patients in Qatar is low, healthcare providers need additional education and knowledge of VTE assessment and prophylaxis to follow guidelines for all patients at the time of admission. Furthermore, risk assessment for VTE should be done for all patients at the time of discharge to decide on post-discharge prophylaxis so that incidence of VTE after discharge can be minimized. Future studies should focus on patients who developed VTE after discharge from the hospital as well as on various risk factors.