Clinical outcome of patients with venous thromboembolism and recent major bleeding: findings from a prospective registry (RIETE).
BACKGROUND
Patients who have experienced a recent major bleeding episode are usually excluded from clinical studies of venous thromboembolism (VTE) treatment. Therefore, recommendations based on evidence from clinical trials may not be suitable for these patients. The Registro Informatizado de la Enfermedad TromboEmbolica (RIETE) is a multicenter, observational registry designed to gather and analyze data on VTE treatment practices and clinical outcomes in patients with acute VTE.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this analysis was to study outcomes of patients with VTE who had experienced recent major bleeding (< 30 days prior to VTE diagnosis).


METHODS
Patients with objectively confirmed symptomatic acute VTE are consecutively enrolled into the RIETE registry. Patient characteristics, details of antithrombotic therapy, and clinical outcomes at 3 months were recorded.


RESULTS
Of 6361 patients enrolled up to January 2004, 170 (2.7%) had experienced recent major bleeding: 69 (40.6%) gastrointestinal tract, 60 (35.3%) intracranial, 41 (24.1%) other. The incidences of major bleeding (4.1%) and recurrent pulmonary embolism (PE) (2.4%) were significantly higher in patients with recent major bleeding. Among them, patients with cancer had an increased incidence of major bleeding [odds ratio (OR) 10.0, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.3, 50; P < 0.001] and fatal PE (OR 4.1, 95% CI 0.98, 17; P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Patients with VTE and recent major bleeding prior to VTE diagnosis (2.7% of total enrolled patients) had poorer clinical outcomes compared with those who had not experienced recent major bleeding. In patients who had recent major bleeding prior to enrollment, those with cancer had a poorer clinical outcome than those without cancer.
Nieto
J A
JA
Servicio de Medicina Interna, Hospital Virgen del Camino, Navarra, Spain.
De Tuesta
A D
AD
Marchena
P J
PJ
Tiberio
G
G
Todoli
J A
JA
Samperiz
A L
AL
Monreal
M
M
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006470:Hemorrhage; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D012307:Risk Factors; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality