Platelet/Lymphocyte Ratio Predicted Long-Term Prognosis for Acute Upper Extremity Deep Vein Thrombosis from a Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND

In this study, we aimed to determine the mortality risk factors and whether placement of a vena cava filter improves the prognosis of acute upper extremity deep vein thrombosis (UEDVT).

METHODS

Clinical data and follow-up results were retrospectively analyzed. Cox regression analysis was conducted to identify the risk factors associated with all-cause mortality in all patients and subgroups of patients. Results are expressed as hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). Receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) were used to determine the optimal cut-off value. Kaplan-Meier survival curves were constructed and compared by the Log rank test.

RESULTS

The study cohort comprised 109 patients of median age 56 years (47.5, 64.5). The median follow-up time was 25 months (8, 47): 39 patients (35.8%) had died by 12 months, 55 (50.5%) by 36 months, and 60 (55%) by the end of follow-up. Presence of malignancy (HR: 5.882, 95% CI: 2.128-16.667), D-dimer (HR: 1.56, 95% CI: 1.09-1.94), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR; HR: 2.02, 95% CI: 1.15-3.54), and the systemic immune/inflammatory index (SII; HR: 1.471, 95% CI: 1.062-1.991) were identified as independent risk factors for mortality. Subgroup analysis of patients with malignancy determined gender (HR: 2.936, 95% CI: 1.599-5.393) and PLR (HR: 1.427,95% CI: 1.023-1.989) as independent risk factors. Kaplan-Meier analysis showed that the mortality rate was much higher in patients with malignancy, high D-dimer (≥ 0.92ug/mL), high PLR (≥ 291) and high SII (≥ 1487). However, there was no significant difference between patients with and without vena cava filters.

CONCLUSION

In this study, we identified PLR as an new independent predictor of mortality in patients with acute UEDVT. Emergency placement of a vena cava filter did not improve long-term prognosis.