Characteristics and Outcomes of Patients With Deep Vein Thrombosis Diagnosed in Emergency Department of Clinical Hospital Dubrava During 2019

Abstract

Aim: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common clinical condition encountered in the emergency department (ED). The aim of this study was to compare the characteristics and outcomes of patients with respect to treatment using novel oral anticoagulants (NOAC). Materials and Methods: In this retrospective observational study, we analyzed medical records of patients diagnosed with DVT during 2019 in the ED of the Clinical Hospital Dubrava. We identified 295 patients, who comprised 1.2% of all patients examined in the ED. Results: Women were more frequently diagnosed with DVT (59%) and they were older than the men (median age 69 vs. 62 years, respectively). Patients with proximal deep vein thrombosis (71%) were admitted to the hospital. Two thirds of all patients were treated with NOAC. Rivaroxaban was the most commonly prescribed drug (52% of patients). Control Doppler ultrasound was performed in 58% of the patients, and complete resolution was observed in 63% of the cases. NOACs caused significantly fewer bleeding events than warfarin (3.2% vs. 13.6%, p < 0.05). Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that patients with DVT can be safely treated with NOACs in an outpatient setting.

Keywords

• deep vein thrombosis
• emergency department
• novel oral anticoagulants
• rivaroxaban
• warfarin
• bleeding