title: Incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The incidence of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) following hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is not well described, particularly with increased use of ambulatory care in the transplant setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective analysis involving 589 patients (382 autologous HSCT, 207 allogeneic HSCT) undergoing transplantation between 2000 and 2005 in a single Canadian institution was undertaken to identify the incidence of proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) in HSCT patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The total 1-year incidence of symptomatic VTE was 3.7% [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.5-5.6]. Among the HSCT patients, 7/589 (1.2%, 95% CI 0.6-2.4) developed symptomatic non-catheter-related VTE following HSCT (four PE and three DVT). All VTE events occurred after hematopoietic engraftment. Patients undergoing autologous HSCT did not receive thromboprophylaxis, whereas most patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT (79.7%) received enoxaparin 20 mg daily for the prevention of veno-occlusive disease of the liver, starting 6 +/- 3 days before transplantation for a mean of 22 +/- 14 days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HSCT patients have a high incidence of VTE. Thromboprophylaxis should potentially be considered in these patients. However, future studies assessing the risk and benefits of thromboprophylaxis are needed in this specific population.
authors.affiliation: Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gonsalves
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Carrier
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Wells
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McDiarmid
authors.forename: L B
authors.initials: LB
authors.lastname: Huebsch
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Allan
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002405:Catheterization, Central Venous; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054556:Venous Thromboembolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology