Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Transcription
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
N O R T H A M E R I C A N T H R O M Online Newsletter Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Jeanine Walenga, PhD, from Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago, IL, gives us a comprehensive overview of Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT). Pages 1-4 B O S I S F O R U M www.NATFonline.org/eThrombosis September 2007 HIT Case Presentation Lina Matta, PharmD, provides a HIT Case presentation with Quiz questions. Pages 5 Future Leaders Journal Review—Thrombosis Page 6 Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia Jeanine M. Walenga, PhD Cardiovascular Institute, Stritch School of Medicine Loyola University Chicago Maywood, Illinois 60148 USA Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is an important adverse effect of heparin. HIT is reported to occur in 1% of medical, 3% of surgical, and 5% of cardiac surgery or orthopedic surgery patients, and has also been diagnosed in other patient populations (1-8). Progression to overt thrombosis leading to amputation or death is the most serious complication occurring in approximately onethird of patients with HIT (9). Thrombosis can occur anywhere throughout the venous and arterial circulation. Spontaneous bleeding and petechiae have been reported only rarely. Patient Advocacy NATF Patient Advocate Kelly Clark shares her experience with DVT and PE. Pages 9-10 other reasons for thrombocytopenia (10-13). HIT occurs from exposure to unfractionated heparin (UFH) at prophylactic or treatment doses or from exogenous sources (e.g., catheter flush) (1-9). Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) also causes HIT but at a 3fold lower frequency than UFH (14). HIT is reported to occur in 1% of medical, 3% of surgical, and 5% of cardiac surgery or orthopedic surgery patients, and has also been diagnosed in other patient populations. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to improve clinical outcomes. Diagnosis of HIT is based on a comprehensive HIT patients can present without interpretation of clinical and laboratory thrombocytopenia, i.e., the platelet count does information. not fall to <100 x 109/L. An abrupt fall in platelet count in the absence of other Clinical Presentation etiologies, and unexplained thrombosis, are In patients being treated or having been also characteristics of HIT. Symptoms recently treated with heparin, HIT should be typically appear 4-14 days after exposure to suspected on the basis of a 30% decrease in UFH, or 8-14 days after exposure to LMWH platelet count from baseline in the absence of (15). Patients who received heparin within the www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 Public Policy Pending legislation that would make November DVT Awareness month in Massachusetts. Is your state aware? Page 10 Thrombosis Summit 2007 - Boston, MA Join us for our inaugural Thrombosis Summit, to be held Saturday, September 29, in Boston, MA. Page 12 prior 100 days can have an immediate, rapidonset HIT when restarting UFH or LMWH. A delayed-onset HIT has also been observed with symptoms appearing several days after discontinuation of UFH (16). The post-cardiac surgery patient presents the greatest challenge due to the typical 40% platelet count decrease that follows surgery. Two platelet recovery patterns have been observed in the cardiac surgery patient with HIT: a typical post-surgery platelet count recovery with an abrupt decrease on day 7, and a slower than typical platelet count recovery becoming significantly lower than expected on post-surgery day 3 (17-18). Careful monitoring for thrombocytopenia and thrombosis are the primary means for recognition of HIT. For the first 14 days of treatment, platelet counts should be performed every 2 days in patients treated with LMWH, daily if treated with UFH, and daily if the patient’s risk of developing HIT is high. For medical and obstetric patients treated with LMWH exclusively and no prior exposure to UFH, it is not necessary to monitor the platelet count (19,20). HIT patients experience a spectrum of thrombotic events including venous and arterial thrombosis, vascular graft occlusion, intracardiac thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, cerebrovascular accident, cavernous sinus thrombosis, mesenteric infarct, renal artery thrombosis, etc. 1 N O R T H A M E R I C A N T H R O M B Patients with co-morbidities, such as sepsis, inflammation, pre-existing vascular pathologies, are at higher risk of poorer clinical outcomes (12). Platelet count nadir, renal impairment, and surgery are associated with more severe thrombotic complications (21). All clinical settings, including the emergency department, need to be aware of a patient’s prior UFH/LMWH exposure and history of HIT. affinity. Generally, the SRA is more sensitive than the PAAs. However, HIT patients can respond positive in the PAA but negative in the SRA and vice versa (44,45,47). False negatives occur in both the SRA and the PAAs but false positives are rare. Due to the limitations of sensitivity and specificity, these laboratory tests can confirm a diagnosis of HIT, but negative results do not exclude a diagnosis of HIT. Pathologic Mechanism The current ELISAs detect IgG, IgA, and IgM HIT antibodies but only to the PF4/heparin complex. HIT antibodies targeting IL-8, NAP-2 or other heparin-binding proteins cannot be detected. New ELISAs that only detect IgG-PF4/heparin antibodies have recently become available. Antibody generation is far more common than the development of clinical HIT (46-50). The clinical relevance of HIT antibody titres without clinical symptoms is unclear. Measurable antibody without strong clinical indication should not be considered HIT. Thus, the ELISA should not be used as a screening test since this will over-estimate the incidence of HIT. A positive ELISA should be confirmed with a platelet function test for HIT since the functional tests are more specific than the ELISAs. On the other hand, since ELISAs can also fail to diagnose HIT a negative result should only rule out HIT if the clinical probabilities are very weak (51). HIT is an immune response in which antibodies are mainly targeted to the complex of heparin and platelet factor 4 (PF4) (22,23). Antibodies to heparin binding proteins other than PF4, such as NAP-2 and IL-8, have also been identified in patients with HIT (24,25). Heparin binding exposes cryptic regions within the protein molecule creating neoepitopes that elicit the formation of HIT antibodies (26,27). Anti-PF4/heparin antibodies are heterogeneous in affinity and specificity (28,29). Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies are the predominant antibody found in symptomatic HIT patients (30,31). However, IgA and IgM have also been identified in patients with symptomatic HIT (32). Immune complexes of PF4-heparin and HIT antibodies that are IgG bind to platelets via FcIIa receptors, (33) inducing platelet activation, aggregation, and generation of highly procoagulant platelet microparticles (34,35). In addition, HIT antibodies provoke leukocyte and endothelial cell activation which produces hypercoagulable and inflammatory states through tissue factor, cytokine, and cellular adhesion molecule up regulation (36-42). This combined cellular activation leads to a burst of thrombin generation. The inter-relationships of platelets, leukocytes, endothelium, and the inflammatory state determine the clinical expression of HIT (43). Laboratory Diagnosis Two types of laboratory assays for HIT are available: platelet function tests and ELISA tests. Each test provides unique and complementary information (44-47). It is useful to perform a combination of tests and to repeat testing over a period of several days as the HIT antibody titre changes (48). Platelet function tests include the serotonin release assay (SRA) and platelet aggregation assays (PAAs). The PAAs use platelet rich plasma and detect IgG, IgM, and IgA HIT antibodies. The SRA, which uses washed platelets, only detects HIT IgGs with high 2 O S I S F O R U M exposure of patient to lepirudin, physician’s experience with the drug, and drug availability (55-57). LMWH can cross-react with most HIT antibodies and is contraindicated for use in patients with HIT (10-13,19,20). Clinical trials have shown the direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs) argatroban (58,59) and lepirudin (60,61) to be safe and effective for reducing the thrombosis and associated morbidity / mortality in patients with HIT. Argatroban is approved for the prophylaxis and treatment of HIT thrombosis, as well as for anticoagulation of HIT patients undergoing interventional cardiology procedures. Lepirudin is approved for the treatment of HIT thrombosis. Both argatroban and lepirudin can be monitored with the aPTT. A third DTI, bivalirudin, is under development. The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of the DTIs differ (11,55,56). Lepirudin is cleared through the kidneys, whereas argatroban is cleared through the liver. Lepirudin has a longer halflife than argatroban. Antibodies to lepirudin can develop in 50% of patients which, upon re-exposure to lepirudin, can result in severe anaphylactic reactions with fatal outcomes (62). All DTIs affect clot-based laboratory assays (e.g., PT/INR, aPTT, factor assays) (63,64). Argatroban has a more pronounced The current laboratory tests for HIT do not effect on the PT/INR than lepirudin (64,65). have sufficient sensitivity and specificity to be used as the sole tool to diagnosis HIT. Any Danaparoid is a non-heparin anticoagulant laboratory test for HIT should only be that has been used to successfully treat HIT performed when there is a strong clinical patients since the 1980’s (66). Studies have suspicion of HIT. Initial therapeutic decisions shown danaparoid to have a similar efficacy should not be dependent upon a positive as lepirudin but with a better safety profile laboratory test, but should be based upon with regard to bleeding, accumulation with clinical findings (i.e., thrombocytopenia and/ renal failure, and immunization (67). It has a or new thromboembolic events). Clinical sustained effect, can be used either judgement with appropriate use and intravenously or subcutaneously, and does not knowledgeable interpretation of the require routine monitoring. Although crosslaboratory test results are important for the reactivity of danaparoid with HIT antibodies diagnosis of HIT. is uncommon, treatment regimens should include platelet count monitoring (47). Patient Management UFH and LMWH should be stopped when the diagnosis of HIT is suspected (10-13,19,20). It is not sufficient to merely remove the heparin (52). Due to the strong hypercoagulable state and high risk of thrombosis associated with HIT, it is recommended that all HIT patients be treated with a non-heparin anticoagulant that does not cross-react with HIT antibodies such as argatroban, lepirudin, or danaparoid (10-13,19,20,53,54). Certain factors need to be considered when making a clinical treatment decision including patient renal and liver function, patient risk of bleeding, prior Fondaparinux is a heparin-derived, factor Xa inhibitor that is approved for prophylaxis of post-orthopedic surgery venous thrombosis as well as for treatment of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. It does not bind PF4 or cross-react with pre-formed HIT antibodies (68,69). Several documented case studies suggest that fondaparinux may provide adequate anticoagulation in HIT patients; however, no studies have been performed to date and it is not approved for this clinical indication. For special populations of patients with HIT www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 N O R T H A M E R requiring anticoagulation, such as pregnant, pediatric, and hemodialysis, specific drug and dose issues need to be considered. HIT patients requiring cardiac surgery are best anticoagulated with UFH but only if they are HIT antibody negative at time of surgery. For patients wit HIT antibody titre, although lepirudin and bivalirudin have been used dosing and monitoring regimens for cardiac surgery are not optimized. Danaparoid is contraindicated for use in cardiac surgery. I 11. 12. 13. 14. For long-term anticoagulation of patients with HIT thrombosis vitamin K antagonists can be used. It is important that treatment only be initiated after rise of platelet counts to >100 x 109/L or to pre-HIT values to avoid warfarininduced limb gangrene/skin necrosis (70). Starting doses need to be low (5 mg warfarin, 6 mg phenprocoumon) and given with overlapping administration of argatroban, lepirudin, or danaparoid for at least 5 days (19,20). 15. 16. 17. References 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Walls JT, Curtis JJ, Silver D, Boley TM, Schmaltz RA, Nawarawong W. 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Coagulation laboratory testing in patients treated with argatroban. Semin Thromb Hemost 1999;25(Suppl 1): 61-66. Walenga JM, Drenth AF, Mayuga M, Hoppensteadt DA, Prechel MM, Harder S, Watanabe H, Osakabe M, Breddin HK. Transition from argatroban to oral anticoagulation with phenprocoumon or acenocoumarol: effect on coagulation factor testing. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost 2007, in press. Harder S, Graff J, Kilikhardt U, von Hentig N, Walenga JM, Watanabe H, Osakabe M, Breddin HK. Transition from argatroban to oral anticoagulation with phenprocoumon or acenocoumarol: effects on PT, aPTT, and ecarin clotting time. Thromb Haemost 2004;91:1137-45. Magnani HN, Gallus A. Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT): a report of 1,478 clinical outcomes of patients treated with danaparoid (Orgaran) from 1982 to mid-2004. Thromb Haemost 2006;95:967-81. Chong BH, Gallus AS, Cade JF, Magnani H, Manoharan A, Oldmeadow M, et al. 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Co-creation, care, and community: www.wikidoc.org www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 N O R T H A M E R Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia: Case Presentation Lina Matta, PharmD, BCPS Clinical Pharmacy Practice Manager Brigham and Women’s Hospital Boston, Massachusetts 02115 USA DS is a 63-year-old male admitted with chest pain radiating to both arms and accompanied by nausea and weakness. Upon presentation to the ED his EKG demonstrates ST-elevations in the inferior leads with first degree AV block. Cardiac Catheterization shows occlusion in the proximal LAD artery (100%). A DES was placed to establish TIMI 3 flow. Medications given intra-procedure included heparin and eptifibatide continuous infusion. ECHO reported inferior, apical, and septal akinesis and EF 25%. Past medical history is significant for CAD s/ p three ACS events and s/p CABG in 2002, CHF, chronic renal insufficiency (Cr 1.8-2.1), hypertension, gout, GERD, and AF. Medications on admission: Aldactone 50 mg po Daily Atorvastatin 40mg po Daily Metoprolol XL 50 mg Daily Aspirin 81 mg po Daily Clopidorgrel 75 mg po Daily Colchicine 0.6 mg po Every Other Day Warfarin 3 mg po Daily Admission Labs: Na 135 WBC 7.40 K 4.8 HgB 11.0 Cl 103 HCT 32.6 CO2 22 PLT: 228 BUN 51 Cr 2.3 Glu 182 ALT 84 AST 388 CKMB 258 TnI 223 I C A N T H R M B O S I S F O R U M Hospital Course: Cl 110 HCT 31.6 CKMB < assay CO2 28 PLT 110 TnI 1.2 BUN 34 Days 1-3 PTT 1.5 x Control Following catheterization, patient is admitted Cr 2.1 INR 1.8 to the CCU with cardiogenic shock and Glu 110 worsening respiratory status. He is intubated and an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) is placed to maintain adequate perfusion. During the CCU admission, the patient Lina Matta, PharmD, BCPS becomes increasingly anuric with worsening renal function. The renal team is consulted 1. What are the first steps that should be and continuous veno-venous hemofiltration taken in this patient’s medication regimen? Answer: Stop heparin and warfarin. Make (CVVH) is started. sure no heparin flushes are being VS: Temp 101 degrees; BP 80-100/50-80; HR 80 administered. 2. What are the criteria that the patient bpm, demonstrates for HIT? Rhythm: NSR Answer: Thrombocytopenia (drop by > 50%), use of heparin for > 4 days, positive ELISA Medications on Day 3: Heparin 750 Units/hour, clopidogrel 75 mg po test. daily, aspirin 325 mg daily, captopril 12.5 mg 3. What are some of the weaknesses of the three times daily, esomperazole 20mg daily, ELISA test? fentanyl 80 mcg/hour, midazolam 2 mg/hour, Answer (directly from Dr. Walenga’s article): dobutamine 3 mcg/kg/min, atorvastatin “The clinical relevance of HIT antibody titres 80mg daily, Senna 2 tablets twice daily, is unclear. Measurable antibody without potassium chloride IV SCALE, magnesium strong clinical indication should not be chloride IV SCALE, insulin continuous considered HIT.” 4. What anticoagulants would you consider infusion per ICU protocol. for this patient? Answer: Argatroban may be preferred since it Laboratory Values on Day 3 is not cleared via the kidneys. Na 139 WBC 8.50 ALT 84 Warfarin may be started following overlap K 4.9 HgB 10.0 AST 112 with argatroban for at least 5 days AND once Cl 106 HCT 31.6 CKMB 7.1 platelet function has returned to baseline CO2 26 PLT 180 TnI 27 values. BUN 36 PTT 1.5 x Control 5. What is the therapeutic marker of Cr 1.8 INR 1.4 argartoban therapy? Glu 105 Answer: PTT. The INR is often “falsely” elevated. Days 4-6: Patient’s cardiac and renal function improving and IABP and CVVH are stopped. Patient has been transferred out of the CCU and to the Step-Down Unit for continued medical management. His EKG demonstrates resolution of ST-elevations and atrial fibrillation. Of note, platelet count on Day 6 was noted to be 110. An ELISA PF4 test Baroletti SA, Goldhaber SZ. Heparin-induced returns POS on Day 6. thrombocytopenia. Circulation 2006;114:e355-e356. Patient Education— VS: Temp 98 degrees; BP 120-140/70-90; HR 90 beats per minute Rhythm: atrial fibrillation, again Medications on Day 6: Heparin 900 Units/hour, clopidogrel 75 mg po daily, aspirin 325 mg daily, captopril 12.5 mg three times daily, esomperazole 20mg daily, amiodarone 400mg po three times daily, atorvastatin 80mg daily, potassium chloride IV SCALE, magnesium chloride IV SCALE, warfarin 3 mg po daily Temp 98°; BP 75-110/40-70 mmHg; RR 16-22 Laboratory Values on Day 6 breaths/minute; HR 60 beats per minute JVP Na 142 WBC 8.00 ALT 50 12; Crackles at the base of his lungs K 5.1 HgB 10.0 AST 95 www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 O The journal Circulation has a section dedicated to patient education entitled, “Patient Pages.” All Patient Page articles are available online and are free to the public. The Cardiology Patient Page article, “HeparinInduced Thrombocytopenia,” by Steven Baroletti, PharmD and Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, provides an excellent overview of HIT geared to the patient population. To read this article in its entirety, please visit: http://circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/full/ 114/8/e355 5 N O R T H A M E R I C A N T H R O M B O S I S F O R U M The PREPIC trial (a centralized RCT with two-by-two factorial design, on 400 patients with the mean age of 73 years, assessing the efficacy of IVCF as an adjunct to UFH or LMWH for PE prevention in patients with proximal DVT) was the only study included. Four types of filters Young T, Aukes J, Hughes R, Tang H. Vena caval filters for the prevention were used in this trial but no clear data is available about subgroup of pulmonary embolism. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, analysis based on filter type. In summary, at an eight year follow-up, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD006212. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006212.pub2. IVCF reduced the total number of symptomatic PE events (hazard ratio 0.37, 95% CI 0.17 to 0.79 in favor of a filter) whilst increasing the To view the full Abstract, please visit: www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis rate of documented recurrent DVT events (hazard ratio 1.52, 95% CI 1.02 to 2.27). No significant difference was observed at any time point Reviewed by Shadi Kalantarian, MD in overall symptomatic venous thromboembolic events, all-cause mortality, or occurrence of post-thrombotic syndrome. It is important The possibility of preventing PE by placing a barrier in the migration to recognize that this study examined the potential extension of IVCF path of the clot was first introduced by Trousseau in the 19th century. to anticoagulation candidates, not its more common current Femoral vein ligation and IVC ligation were early surgical indications for patients with contraindications to or failure of interventions that were based on this hypothesis. However, major anticoagulant therapy. concerns about the considerable reduction in venous return, and the risk of embolization through the well developed collaterals, led to Due to the lack of robust well designed studies, this systematic review, efforts for introduction and gradual improvement of Inferior Vena similar to the previous review by Girard et al., failed to find Cava Filters (IVCFs) for patients with DVT. generalizable conclusions about the outcomes or indications of IVC filter placement. The current generalizability of PREPIC is limited by Since the1950s, IVCFs have been increasingly used for prevention of its lack of statistical power to assess for differences in symptomatic PE pulmonary embolism. However, the growth rate of pertinent rates at the earlier (2-year) time point, the unavailability of validated evidence has not been commensurate with the growing use of such measures of post-thrombotic syndrome at the time the study was devices. The seventh ACCP guidelines on antithrombotic and conducted, and interval improvements in anticoagulant therapy which thrombolytic therapy recommend IVCFs for patients suffering from a have since occurred. Anticoagulation remains the cornerstone of proximal DVT “with a contraindication for, or a complication of treatment of VTE and should be initiated and maintained as indicated anticoagulation treatment, as well as in those with recurrent by the guidelines as soon as there is no contraindication for it. thromboembolism despite adequate anticoagulation”. Retrievable filters are theoretically superior to permanent filters but they need to be meticulously examined. This systematic review performed by Young et al. aimed at assessing the effectiveness of vena caval filters for prevention of PE. Mortality, This systematic review emphasizes the enormous knowledge gap for fatal PE, filter related complications, recurrent DVT, and post- indications and outcomes of IVC filter placement, highlighting thrombotic syndrome were the secondary outcomes. priorities for further research. Vena Caval Filters for the Prevention of Pulmonary Embolism Peripheral Vascular Diseases Group Specialized Register, MEDLINE, References: CENTRAL, and EMBASE were searched for RCTs and CCTs examining efficacy of filters for PE prevention. 1. Young T, Aukes J, Hughes R, Tang H. Vena caval filters for the prevention Of the originally evaluated eleven papers, only one RCT was found, with a 2-year primary report and an updated 8-year follow up 2. report. Eight studies were excluded because of poor methodological quality, and one was a cost-effectiveness analysis. 6 of pulmonary embolism. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2007, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD006212. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD006212.pub2. Hann CL, Streiff MB. The role of vena caval filters in the management of venous thromboembolism. Blood Rev. 2005;19(4):179-202. www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 N 3. 4. 5. O R T H A M E R I C A N Büller HR, Agnelli G, Hull RD, Hyers TM, Prins MH, Raskob GE. Antithrombotic therapy for venous thromboembolic disease: the Seventh ACCP Conference on Antithrombotic and Thrombolytic Therapy. Chest. 2004;126(3 Suppl):401S-428S. The PREPIC Study Group. Eight-year follow-up of patients with permanent vena cava filters in the prevention of pulmonary embolism: the PREPIC (Pre´vention du Risque d’Embolie Pulmonaire par Interruption Cave) randomized study. Circulation. 2005;112:416–422. Decousus H, Leizorovicz A, Parent F, Page Y, Tardy B, Girard P. et al. A clinical trial of vena caval filters in the prevention of pulmonary embolism in patients with proximal deep-vein thrombosis. Prévention du Risque d'Embolie Pulmonaire par Interruption Cave Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1998 12;338(7):409-15. Girard P, Stern JB, Parent F. Medical literature and vena cava filters: so far so weak. Chest. 2002 Sep;122(3):963-7. T H R O M B O S I S F O R U M VTE prophylaxis or those who were eligible based on enrollment criteria for randomized clinical trials demonstrating a benefit from pharmacological prophylaxis, less than two-thirds actually received prophylaxis. Although rarely used in other countries, intermittent pneumatic compression was the most common form of prophylaxis among patients enrolled in the United States. While low-molecular weight heparins were most frequently used in other countries, subcutaneous unfractionated heparin was the most common pharmacological modality in the United States. Although the study was not a randomized controlled trial, the large IMPROVE registry analysis provides an important “real-world” view of VTE prophylaxis patterns among acutely ill medical patients in the United States and abroad. Similar to other recent studies, IMPROVE 6. highlights critical deficiencies in the implementation of VTE prophylaxis according to established guidelines among the vulnerable About Shadi Kalantarian, MD: Shadi Kalantarian is student of medicine patient population of hospitalized medical patients. and a research fellow at Modarres Cardiovascular Research Center, Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. Her research subjects of interest are The IMPROVE registry should be viewed as an important call-toatherosclerosis, thromboembolic disease, and arrhythmology. Currently she is action for clinicians and investigators to seek new ways of improving heading a systematic review on surgical AF ablation with the Cochrane implementation of evidence-based guidelines for VTE prophylaxis among acutely ill hospitalized medical patients. Collaboration. VTE Prophylaxis in Acutely Ill Hospitalized Medical Patients: IMPROVE Findings Tapson VF, Decousus H, Pini M, Chong BH, Froehlich JB, Monreal M, Spyropoulos AC, Merli GJ, Zotz RB, Bergmann JF, Pavanello R, Turpie AG, Nakamura M, Piovella F, Kakkar AK, Spencer FA, Fitzgerald G, Anderson FA; for the IMPROVE Investigators. Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in acutely ill hospitalized medical patients: Findings from the International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism. CHEST 2007 Jun 15; [Epub ahead of print]. To view the full Abstract, please visit: www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis Reviewed by Gregory Piazza, MD How well do clinicians follow evidence-based guidelines for the venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis of acutely ill hospitalized medical patients? This analysis from the International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE) evaluated VTE prophylaxis patterns among 15,156 hospitalized medical patients from 52 medical centers and 12 countries. In the United States and other participating countries, 52% and 43% of hospitalized medical patients, respectively, should have received VTE prophylaxis according to the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) guidelines. Of these patients who met the ACCP criteria for www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 About Gregory Piazza, MD: Dr. Piazza completed medical Internship and Residency at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. He also served as a Chief Medical Resident at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Dr. Piazza is currently a third year clinical fellow in the Cardiovascular Division at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. His Clinical research is undertaken simultaneously at the Venous Thromboembolism Research Group, where he is focusing on characteristics of hospitalized medical patients with DVT and complications of anticoagulation management. Use of Preventive Measures for Air Travel-related VTE in Professionals Who Attend Medical Conferences Kuipers S, Cannegieter SC, Middeldorp S, Rosendaal FR, Buller HR. Use of preventive measures for air travel-related venous thrombosis in professionals who attend medical conferences. J Thromb Haemost 2006;4:2373-2376. To view the full Abstract, please visit: www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis Reviewed by Chiara Piovella, MD In this observational study, the authors report a recent survey comparing travel-related thrombosis prophylaxis methods in attendees of three international conferences held last August in Sydney (the XXth ISTH Congress, the 15th ISDB Congress, and the 13th Cochrane 7 N O R T H A M E R I C A N T Colloquium). The analysis revealed that ISTH delegates used prophylactic measures more often than others, and that medical doctors used LMWH prophylaxis more often than other ISTH delegates. The most common risk factors were found to be estrogen use, varicose veins, thrombophilia and history of VTE. 49% of the individuals with prior VTE used anticoagulation pharmacoprophylaxis (33% LMWH and 16% warfarin) compared to 23% of the individuals without risk factors. Anticoagulation prophylaxis was also used by 40% of attendees with thrombophilia. In contrast, only 5% of hormonal therapy users and 15% of those with varicose veins used anticoagulant prophylaxis. Moreover, only 36% of passengers with varicose veins used elastic stockings. H R O M B O S I S F O R U M appropriate prophylaxis when assessing the data year-by-year from 2002 through 2005. Among Internal Medicine and Subspecialty Medicine physicians, cardiologists had the highest rate of appropriate VTE prophylaxis. Ironically, hematologists and oncologists had one of the lowest rates of prophylaxis. In a separate survey of inpatients in Canada, the situation may be even bleaker. Of 4,124 Canadian medical admissions, only 16% received appropriate prophylaxis (2). Evidence-based medicine justifies VTE prophylaxis. There is an 8-fold greater death rate from autopsy proven PE among unprophylaxed surgical patients (3). And three major pharmacological prophylaxis trials in hospitalized medical patients—MEDENOX (4), PREVENT (5), and ARTEMIS (6)—showed that VTE prophylaxis can cut the rate of In general, travelers with risk factors used anticoagulation and VTE in half. Meta-analyses confirm these findings (7, 8). Furthermore, graduated compression stockings significantly more often than those asymptomatic proximal DVT at 3 weeks after hospitalization is without risk (22 % vs 4% and 36% vs 13%, respectively). In contrast, the associated with a marked increase in death rates at 90 days (9). use of aspirin was not significantly different between the groups (27% vs. 19%), suggesting either that these passengers were already on VTE is much easier and less expensive to prevent than to diagnose or aspirin for another reason or alternatively that passengers with and treat (10). And by preventing inpatient VTE, the rate of communitywithout risk factors may have considered aspirin relatively harmless acquired outpatient VTE will decrease because most outpatient VTE can be traced back to a hospitalization or surgical procedure within the and potentially beneficial. prior 90 days (11). In conclusion, the study shows that preventive measures (medical and non-medical) for air travel-related thrombosis are widely used. A lack References of consensus is apparent from the wide variation in thromboprophylaxis use by nationality and professional background. 1. Amin A, Stemkowski S, Lin J, et al. Thromboprophylaxis rates in US Prospective studies with anticoagulants, especially in predefined highmedical centers: success or failure? J Thromb Haemostas 2007; 5: risk groups (thrombophilia, obesity, prior thrombosis, or hormonal 1610-1616. therapy) are therefore recommended. Guidelines for passengers based 2. Kahn SR, Panju A, Geerts W, et al. Multicenter evaluation of the use of on risk assessment approved by expert consensus are necessary. In the venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients in meantime, passengers with risk factors should be advised on the Canada. Thrombosis Research 2007; 119: 145-155. potential risk of long-haul flights and available prophylactic measures. 3. International Multicentre Trial: Prevention of fatal postoperative pulmonary embolism by low doses of heparin. Lancet 1975 July 12;45-51. Samama MM, Cohen AT, Darmon JY, et al: A comparison of enoxaparin with placebo for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in acutely ill medical patients. Prophylaxis in Medical Patients with Enoxaparin Study Group. N Engl J Med 1999;341:793-800. Leizorovicz A, Cohen AT, Turpie AG, et al: Randomized, placebocontrolled trial of dalteparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in acutely ill medical patients. Circulation 2004; 110:874-879. 6. Cohen AT, Davidson BL, Gallus AS, et al: Efficacy and safety of fondaparinux for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in older acute medical patients: randomised placebo controlled trial. BMJ 2006; Amin A, Stemkowski S, Lin J, et al. Thromboprophylaxis rates in US medical 332:325-329. centers: success or failure? J Thromb Haemostas 2007; 5: 1610-1616. 7. Dentali F, Douketis JD, Gianni M, Lim W, Crowther MA. Meta-analysis: Anticoagulant prophylaxis to prevent symptomatic venous To view the full Abstract, please visit: www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis thromboembolism in hospitalized medical patients. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007; 146: 278-288. Reviewed by Kim M. Hickman, BS; Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD 8. Wein L, Wein S, Haas SJ, Shaw J, Krum H. Pharmacological venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in hospitalized medical patients a metaAmin and colleagues (1) studied 200,000 high-risk hospitalized medical analysis of randomized controlled trials. Arch Intern Med. 2007; 167: patients and showed that U.S. hospitals have failing grades for 1476-1486. thromboprophylaxis against pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep vein 9. Vaitkus PT, Leizorovicz A, Cohen AT, Turpie AG, Olsson CG, Goldhaber thrombosis (DVT). The absolute rate of prophylaxis was low. And SZ. Mortality rates and risk factors for asymptomatic deep vein among those prophylaxed, the pharmacologic regimens were often thrombosis in medical patients. Thromb Haemost. 2005; 93: 76-79. inadequate with respect to proper drug, dose, and duration. 10. Goldhaber SZ, Turpie AG. Prevention of venous thromboembolism among hospitalized medical patients. Circulation. 2005; 111: e1-3. The overall VTE thromboprophylaxis rate should have been 100% but 11. Spencer FA, Lessard D, Emery C, Reed G, Goldberg RJ. Venous was only 62%, of whom only half received appropriate prophylaxis. thromboembolism in the outpatient setting. Arch Intern Med. 2007; 167: The least frequently prophylaxed patients had cancer, severe lung 1471-1475. About Chiara Piovella, MD: Dr Piovella completed her medical Internship, 4. Residency, and Fellowship in Internal Medicine at the I.R.C.C.S Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia, Italy. She worked as a fellow in the Thromboembolic Disease Unit of Policlinico San Matteo in Pavia. Her major research effort this past year has been related to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Dr. Piovella 5. is currently a Venous Thromboembolism Research Group Fellow. Thromboprophylaxis Rates In US Medical Centers: Success or Failure? disease, or acute spinal cord injury (without undergoing surgery). Fortunately, there was a slight trend toward increasing use of 8 www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 N O R T H A M E R I C A N T H R O M B O S I S F O R U M Kelly was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism in early 2007. It has now become her passion to raise public awareness, educate patients and health care providers, and improve thrombosis medical standards.— This is her story. Kelly Clark is a 40-year-old professional and mother of two young children, who resides in Aliso Viejo, California. In early 2007, Kelly was diagnosed with a pulmonary embolism following arthroscopic knee surgery. Thrombosis awareness, education, and prevention have now become her passion. We are pleased to welcome Kelly as a NATF Patient Advocate. I returned to work just a few short days after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery from a tilted kneecap. Within two weeks, I started experiencing severe pain in my knee and calf. The swelling was increasing, and it felt hot to the touch. In fact, there was so much swelling that you could not see the natural crease behind my knee. I just assumed it was part of the healing process after knee surgery, since I had never heard of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) before. When I returned to my orthopedics’ office for my 2-week follow-up appointment, I explained my symptoms; the swelling of my knee, excruciating pain, and inability to sleep because of that pain. None www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 At work 6 days later, I had just returned to my desk after chatting with a co-worker over coffee, when I suddenly lost consciousness. When I came to, I experienced a shortness of breath that felt like I was suffocating. I was freezing cold, but sweating. Fortunately, I am a member of our company’s medical response It is estimated that over 200,000 new cases of VTE occur annually. Of team and CPR/First Aid certified, so I knew immediately that something was wrong. I these, 30% die within 30 days, onecalled out to a co-worker who was also on the fifth suffer sudden death due to PE, response team, and asked for help. She brought the oxygen to me, while other and about 30% develop recurrent members of the medical response team VTE within 10 years. arrived. Even with the oxygen I was unable to (Heit JA. Semin Thromb Hemost 2002;28:3-13) breathe. I then asked her to call 911. After just a matter of minutes, the paramedics arrived to find me having difficulty breathing, my skin thought I was just trying to get more pain was colorless, and my lips had turned blue. medication, which offended me. I remember They immediately rushed me into the getting into my car after that appointment and ambulance and transported me to the hospital. calling my father crying, powerless to While in route, I went into full cardiac arrest understand why I was in so much pain, and and they began CPR. unable to believe there was nothing anyone could do to relieve it. of the pain medication I had been given provided any relief. My doctor instructed me to go home, elevate my knee, and continue to ice it. I got the distinct impression that he 9 N O R T H A M E R The Emergency Room doctor was able to revive me upon arrival at the hospital. My parents arrived shortly thereafter. Later that morning I seized, and went into another cardiac arrest. With CPR, they were able to revive me once again. The medical team ordered a CT scan and found a massive pulmonary embolus (large blood clot in the lungs) and several smaller blood clots. At this point, the Attending Physician went to my parent’s and told them I would not survive. He suggested that my family members and friends be called to come and say their goodbyes. My sister flew in from Memphis, Tennessee, and my brother drove down from Santa Barbara. Family friends also arrived. I am a single mother of two young children, who were taken out of school and brought to the hospital immediately so they could say goodbye to their mommy. Everyone has said to me "I can't believe what you went through," but to me, I can't believe what my family must have endured that day. My parents, having to witness their daughter laying unconscious with tubes down her throat, were forced to make terrifying life or death decisions about my treatment. The doctor informed them that there was a drug called tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), which could potentially dissolve the clot—at a cost. The risk of hemorrhage was severe. At that point no one thought there was much of a choice—I was going to die either way. My parents allowed the doctor to administer the tPA and also implant a permanent Vena Cava Filter to help prevent future clots from going into my lungs. Remarkably, several hours later, I began to show signs of improvement. I spent the next 7 days in the Intensive Care Unit before I was able to go home. It took another 2 months before I was able to return to work. In order to prevent future blood clots, I will be on warfarin (blood thinning medication) for the rest of my life. Because of this, I have had to come to terms with the fact that my whole lifestyle will have to change. I will no longer be able to have children, and there are many physical activities I can no longer participate in. In spite of this, I am so grateful to be alive! I am grateful for the quick thinking of those paramedics, and my ER doctor. Recovery has been slow. It seemed to take a long time for my lungs to return to normal. Simple things, like walking to and from the mailbox, made me completely out of breath. I continued to experience chest pressure for months. I also had damage to my vocal chords from being intubated, which today has almost healed. I C A N T H R O M B 8 months later, I still have a DVT in my left leg. I also have a few veins that have no blood flow due to the clots. I suffer from pain and swelling as a result of the DVT. Some days the pain forces a slight limp when I walk. Though I find some relief in the morning, as the day goes by the pain, discoloration, and swelling increases. I have become accustom to wearing open-toed shoes because of the unpredictable swelling. I have also, on occasion, caught myself dragging my foot because my leg feels so heavy. Over the past 8 months, I have been to so many different doctors and each one tells me something different. An Interventional Radiologist at UCLA said he couldn’t remove the clots because they are “too old”. I even had another doctor tell me that DVT is not painful. Looking back, I can’t help but think that if the symptoms of DVT had been in my discharge papers from my knee surgery, I would have gone to the emergency room on my own and not had to rely on my doctor for the diagnosis. The only symptoms mentioned in my discharge papers were the symptoms of possible infection at the incision area—yet, now I know that knee and hip surgery are risk factors for DVT. Maybe at my doctor’s office when they originally scheduled the surgery, I could have been given a pamphlet on DVT to educate me on the risks and symptoms— another missed opportunity at prevention. Today, I truly believe that a simple pamphlet listing the warning signs and symptoms of DVT could save the lives of so many people. Not just patients having surgery, but patients who are hospitalized, woman on birth control or hormone replacement therapy, or just released from giving child birth, and other individuals who might be at risk. DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) are like a ticking time bomb. Had I known the warning signs— had my doctor thought to order an ultrasound of my legs—my children and family would never have had to hold my hand and say goodbye to me. • Cancer • Prior DVT or PE • Hypercoagulability (genetic predisposition for blood clots) • Surgery • Advanced age (>70 years of age) • Obesity (BMI >29) • Bed rest, or prolonged immobility • Oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy O S I S F O R U M Pending Legislation in Massachusetts— Thrombosis Awareness Month The following is a draft of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Resolution (pending) to name November 2007, “Thrombosis Awareness Month,” sponsored by Massachusetts State Representative Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr. WHEREAS, more than 900,000 people in the United States are estimated to develop venous thromboembolism or clots in the veins every year. Of these, about 380,000 people develop deep vein thrombosis which occurs in the inner veins of the leg; and WHEREAS, Pulmonary embolism a serious and often fatal complication of deep vein thrombosis, affects about 530,000 people in the United States each annually; and WHEREAS, almost 300,000 people die each year in the U.S. due to blood clots in the veins and this number is greater than the number of people who die each year of AIDS, breast cancer, or automobile accidents; and WHEREAS, hereditary thrombophilia, an inherited predisposition to blood clots affects approximately 1 in 20 people in the United States; and WHEREAS, positive life style choices and/ or treatment during high-risk situations could prevent blood clots in a significant number of these individuals; now RESOLVED, That the Massachusetts General Court in Recognition of the importance of the ongoing fight against Deep Vein Thrombosis, Hereby recognizes November 2007 as Thrombosis awareness month in Massachusetts; and be it further RESOLVED, That a copy of these resolutions be forwarded by the Clerk of the House of Representatives to the Thrombosis Association THROMBOSIS AWARENESS MONTH In the State of Massachusetts Is Your State Aware? To learn more about public policy and patient advocacy, please visit: www.NATFonline.org/policy_advocacy.html (NEJM 2005;352:969-977) 10 www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 N O R T H A M E R Under the Auspices of International Union of Angiology (IUA), International Academy of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis (ICATH), Working Group on LMWH Generics of the SSC on Anticoagulation of the ISTH , North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) and South Asian Society of Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (SASAT) The North American Thrombosis Forum is proud to endorse the “International Summit on Antithrombotic Drugs,” to be held Friday, October 12, in New Delhi, India. This international summit is organized to recognize the timely issues related to the evolution of guidelines for the objective and ethical development of generic antithrombotic drugs with particular reference to Low Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs). Current guidelines for the generic conversion of branded antithrombotic drugs, in particular heparins, are inadequate at this time. Moreover, in the case of LMWHs these guidelines are invalid. Very little has been done by various organizations to address these issues. This has led to the development www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007 I C A N T H R O M B and introduction of several generic antithrombotic drugs globally, some of which were withdrawn after the initial approval, to avoid patient care adverse-related issues. The IUA, SASAT and ICATH have addressed these issues periodically. More recently, the EMEA and other peer groups have also addressed concerns related to the current status of this problem. This summit is organized to brief the distinguished panel on the problems and issues, generate scientific input for objective guidelines for the development of antithrombotic drugs, in particular the LMWHs. The deliberations of these meetings will be published as a white paper in International Angiology and JCATH. The listed experts are being contacted for their participation in this meeting. Those experts who are unable to attend this meeting will provide their input to the respective chairs via e-mail or phone conferences, which will be incorporated in the final document. O S I S F O R U M admitted for medical, surgical and interventional indications. These drugs play a valuable role in the treatment of various disorders such as myocardial infarction, thrombotic stroke and venous thromboembolism. The mechanisms by which these drugs produce their effects are complex and not completely understood at this time. Most of the effects produced by these drugs are indirect and may involve the modulation of plasmatic, vascular and target organ specific effects. Moreover, some of these drugs produce the release and generation of certain endogenous antithrombotic mediators. The recent development of generic versions of antithrombotic drugs warrants discussion on this topic. The International Summit on Antithrombotic Drugs provides for expert opinion and discussion, and will provide a platform for the development of specific guidelines for the requirements in approving generic versions of the branded products. This Summit is organized to discuss important The Need issues and to generate a white paper for Thrombosis represents a complex publication in SASAT, IUA and ICATH pathophysiological syndrome with sponsored publications. Other public forums multifactorial etiologies. Anticoagulants, such as the NATF will also be used for antiplatelet and thrombolytic drugs have been disseminating the information generated used for the treatment of various thrombotic during the Summit. www.SASAT.org disorders and for prophylaxis in patients 11 N O R T H A M E R I C A N T H R O M B O S I S F O R U M This 1-day symposium emphasizing Clinical Science and professional education is intended to provide a concise, state-of-the-art overview of prophylaxis measures and critical developments in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of thrombotic disorders. Focused sessions in 5 key areas include 1) translational research, 2) clinical research, 3) prevention and education, 4) public policy, and 5) advocacy (featuring special guest lecturers Melanie Bloom, Ajay Kakkar, MD, Sanjay Kaul, MD, MPH, and Susan B. Shurin, MD). This program is intended for physicians, nurses, physician assistants, pharmacists, hospitalists, and hospital administrators interested in thrombosis prevention and treatment. Tuition: Location: Directors: Offered by: There is no cost to attend this program. Pre-registration is required. The program will be held at the historic Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, at 138 St. James Avenue, in Boston, Massachusetts. Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD, Jawed Fareed, PhD, and Arthur A. Sasahara, MD North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF), Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine, and Harvard Medical School, Department of Continuing Education For more information, or to register, please visit: http://www.natfonline.org/thrombosis_summit2007.html Our Mission The North American Thrombosis Forum (NATF) is a nonprofit organization that focuses on unmet needs and issues related to thrombosis and cardiovascular diseases such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial occlusive disease, and stroke. The five areas of major focus are: 1) basic translational research, 2) clinical research, especially diagnosis and therapy, 3) prevention and education, 4) public policy, and 5) advocacy. NATF's legacy will be to improve patient care, outcomes, and public health by supporting thrombosis-related programs, such as novel research projects, innovative educational programs, public policy initiatives, regulatory issues and advocacy, and to broaden training opportunities for physicians, scientists, and other health professionals. How You Can Help As a Fledgling Organization, we rely upon your participation, energy, spirit of volunteering, and philanthropy that characterize the culture of North America. With your support, NATF sponsors several multidisciplinary thrombosis education programs annually: 1) "Proactive Prophyalxis," a multidisciplinary symposium geared to healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers, and 2) the NATF "Thrombosis Summit," an annual event focused to meet all five NATF mission points. NATF also strives to promote the educational events of our partner thrombosis organizations. Support of NATF educational programs ensures that we can continue to offer a comprehensive web-based network for both healthcare professional and patient education resources. For more information, please visit our website: www.NATFonline.org Board of Directors Samuel Z. Goldhaber, MD — President, Founding Director Jawed Fareed, PhD — Founding Director Arthur A. Sasahara, MD — Founding Director John Fanikos, RPh, MBA — Treasurer, Director Staff and Volunteers Kim D. Mahoney — Executive Director, Secretary Kelly Clark — Patient Advocate Scientific Advisory Board Geno Merli, MD — Chair Jeanine M. Walenga, PhD — Vice Chair Stephen Fredd, MD Carlos Jerjes-Sanchez Diaz, MD Kenneth V. Leeper, MD Gundu Rao, PhD Jeffrey I. Weitz, MD Ann K. Wittkowsky, PharmD, CACP, FASHP, FCCP North American Thrombosis Forum 1620 Tremont Street, Suite 3022; Roxbury Crossing, Massachusetts 02120 - USA Phone (617) 525-8326 • Fax (617) 738-7652 • Email [email protected] • URL www.NATFonline.org 12 www.NATFonline.org/ethrombosis September 2007