Venous Thrombembolism Flashcards
What is the mortality rate for VTE?
Venous Thromboembolism is a major cause of morbidity and mortaliity (10% of hospital deaths due to pulmonary embolism)
More than death by breast cancer, HIV, and motor vehicle accidents
Is VTE treatment or prophylaxis the same as atrial fibrillation or secondary prevention of MI/Stroke?
No, they use different therapeutic agents
What are some characteristics of venous circulation?
- Return blood to heart for re-oxygenation
- Thinner walls vs arteries
- Elastic (variably widens as blood passes through)
- Lower shear rate than arteries
- One-way valves close to prevent backflow (damage can cause blood to pool)
What is the pathophysiology of venous thrombus (red clot)?
- Formed without damaging vessel wall
- Held together by mostly fibrin, less platelet
- Leads to VTE (DVT/PE)
What is the pathophysiology of arterial thrombus (white clot)?
- Formed from rupture of atherosclerotic plaque
- Held together by mostly platelet, less fibrin
- Leads to ACS, stroke, or peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
What is the definition of venous thromboembolism?
Results from clot formatrion within venous circulation
What causes venous thromboembolism to develop from a venous thrombus?
A venous thrombus (clot) may have the following:
- Lyse
- Obstruct venous circulation
- Embolize
- Combination
Where do thromboembolisms usually form?
Mainly in the lower extremities
Majority in calf veins, minority in arm, brain, GI tract, liver
What is the physiology of coagulation?
Generation of thrombin (factor 2a) is central to the coagulation cascade
Thrombin is made from prothrombin by factor 10a
Prothrombin –> Thrombin –> Fibrinogen –> Fibrin clot
What are the three main categories of risk factors for VTE?
- Stasis
- Vessel wall injury
- Hypercoagulability
What are some causes for circulatory stasis?
- Bed rest/immobility (often seen in hospitalization)
- Heart failure (Class III-IV)
- Varicose veins (maybe)
- Atrial fibrilation
What are some causes for vascular damage?
- Previous VTE
- Bacterial infection (sepsis)
- Prosthetic implants
- Peripheral vascular disease
- Trauma
- Surgery (especially following hip and knee replacements)
What are some causes of hypercoagulability?
- Medications
- Use of oral contraceptives
- Malignancy
- Inherited thrombophilias
- Advanced age (over 60)
- Obesity (BMI over 30)
- Protein C or S deficiency
- Smoking
What is the risk of getting VTE during pregnancy/post-partum?
Pregnancy (5-10x increase during pregnancy)
Early post-partum (15-35x increase)
What are some specific drug related increases in rates of VTE?
- Estrogen (2x risk vs. baseline)
- SERMS (Tamoxifen/raloxifen)
- Chemotherapy
- Older antipsychotics
- Erythropoietin
What are some signs and symptoms associated with VTE?
Often asymptomatic, and symptoms manifest as the clot get larger
Non-specific symptoms:
Leg pain (90%)
Tenderness (85%)
Ankle edema (76%)
Calf swelling (42%)
What are some signs and symptoms associated with pulmonary embolisms?
Symptoms of PE
- Sudden, unexplained SOB
- Tachypnea
- Tachycardia
- Cough
- Cyanosis
Are the recurrance rates associated with VTE low?
No, a large (as high as 7%) portion of people who have experienced a VTE will have a VTE more than once
What are some complications associated with VTE?
- Recurrent VTE
- Post-thrombotic syndroms
- Venous ulcers, chronic thromboembolism, pulmonary hypertension(CTEPH)
What is post-thrombotis syndrome (PTS)?
It develops in 10-50% of patients that have DVT and will develop within 3-6 months
What are some treatment options for post-thrombic syndrome?
Compression stockings (avoid if patient has lesions on legs)
30-45mgHg at ankle following DVT diagnosis
What causes skin ulcers following VTE?
They are caused by venous insufficiency, leading to pooling blood
Venous insufficiency is also a major cause of chronic wounds as they take longer to heal
What is chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (PTS)?
Following a PE
Scarring in the lungs causes arteries to narrow in the lungs. This leads to a permanent increase in pulmonary blood pressure (may lead to right-sided heart failure)
Need to be anti-coagulated for life after treatment
How is VTE diagnosed?
Lab tests:
- D-dimer increase
- ESR and WBC count increase
Clinical prediction score:
- Wells criteria (DVT & PE)
Imaging:
- Compression ultrasonography
- CT scan
- Ventilation/perfusion scan
Does DVT have a higher mortality risk than PE?
No, Deep vein thrombosis have a low mortality is low if it is the only condition
PE shows a significant increase in mortality
What are some important lab values in treating VTE?
- Prothrombin time (PT)
- Partial thromboplastin time (PTT)
- Activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)
- Anti-Xa activity
- International normalized ratio (INR)
What are the goals of treatment for VTE?
- Prevent initial VTE
- Resolution of signs and symptoms of VTE (be specific to patient)
- Prevent extension of VTE (PE in patients with DVT)
- Prevent hemodynamic collapse and/or death
- Prevent VTE recurrance
What are some challenges presented by attempting to prevent and/or treat VTE?
- Precise dosing of anticoagulants
- Monitoring properly
- Balance bleed vs. clotting risk (especially in patients with liver disease or malignancy)
- Bleeding is the predominant adverse events (increases with intensity and duration of therapy)
- Drug interactions
- Drug/disease interactions
- Patient issues (compliance and administration)
- Clinical assessment and appropriate prophylaxis
What drugs are used in the treatment of VTE?
- Heparin
- Low molecular weight heparin
- Heparinoids (danaparoids)
- Fondaparinux
- Direct thrombin inhibitor (argatroban)
- Vitamin K antagonist (warfarin)
- Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs)
What is the mechanism of action for heparin?
Catalyzes antithrombin, which inactivates factors 2a, 9a, 11a, and 12a (also binds to other plasma proteins)
Prolongs aPTT
Cannot bind to thrombin already in a clot
What is the onset of effect for heparin?
IV: Works immediately
Subcut: 30-60 min
What is the duration of effect for heparin?
half-life = 1-2 hours
IV: continous infusion to ensure level response
Subcut: 8 hours
What are some contraindications for heparin?
Most are not absolute contraindications, but risk factors for bleeds
- Hemorrhagic stroke
- Severe, uncontrolled HTN
- Active gastric/duodenal ulcer
- Blood clotting disorders
-Severe thrombocytopenia
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is an actual contraindication for heparin use
What is an approximate heparin dose for thromboprophylaxis?
5000 units SC every 8-12 hours
What is an approximate heparin dose for treatment of DVT/PE?
IV: LD 80 units/kg over 10 min, then 18 units/kg/hour
SC: 250 units/kg Q12h
Narrow therapuetic window + variable response rates (not preferred by nurses, because of frequent dose adjustments based on lab samples)
How long is heparin used for VTE treatment?
Usually, heparin will just be used for less than 7 days (if need to use anticoagulant for longer, HCPs will switch to something that is less monitoring intensive + more comfortable)
Heparin is simultaneously given with warfarin
Heparin is d/c when INR reaches target INR for 1-2 days
What are some common adverse effects associated with heparin?
- Minor bleeds
- Injection site reactions if subcut
- Transient, mild liver enzyme elevation
What are some concerning adverse effects associated with heparin?
- Heparin induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)
- Major bleeds
- Hyperkalemia
- Skin necrosis
- BMD decrease
What is the antidote used in reversing the anti-coagulation effect of heparin?
Protamine sulfate (most effective given closer to heparin dosing time)
What is heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT?
It is an immune-mediated platelet aggregation reaction
- Causes platelets to activate and stick together
- Increased thrombotic and bleed risk
Onset typically occurs 5-10 dats after heparin initiation
What is being measured by the 4T scale?
It measures the probability of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT)
The following conditions are associated with HIT risk:
1. Thrombocytopenia
2. Timing of the decrease in platelet count
3. Thrombosis or other sequelae
4. Other causes of thrombocytosis
Decreases in platelet count are represented by the following scores:
1. less than 30% fall (0 points)
2. 30-50% fall (1 point)
3. More than 50% fall (2 points)
Review slide 57 for 4T scale (know for exam)
How is heparin-induced thrombocytopenia treated?
d/c all sources of heparin
Begin alternate anticoagulation (warfarin is initially unsuitable, but can use argatroban, fondaparinux, danaparoid, bivalirudin)
DOACs (rivaroxaban) can be used in stable patients (rivaroxaban 15mg PO BID until platelets restored)
Transition to warfarin once platelets restored
Why is warfarin initially unsuitable for VTE and HIT?
Warfarin initially reduces protein C and S, which increases thrombotic risk
What are some drug interactions associated with heparin?
- ACEi/ARBs (increases risk of hyperkalemia)
- Antiplatelets (Increased anti-coagulation)
- Aspirin/NSAIDs (increased anti-coagulation)
- Estrogens/progestins (pro-thrombotic)
- Herbs (194 herbs have anti-coagulant properties)
- Potassium salts/ potassium diuretics
How is heparin therapy for VTE treatment monitored?
Must monitor aPTT In VTE treatment for efficacy (exact normal aPPT values vary between labs)
Platelet count, HgB and hematocrit, and potassium (only if at risk of hyperkalemia)
What are some examples of LMWH?
- Enoxaparin (used in ACS)
- Tinzaparin (most commonly used LMWH in SHA)
- Dalteparin
- Nadroparin
All appear to be equally clinically in safety and efficacy (Not interchangeable)
What is the mechanism of action for LMWH?
Same as heparin, but higher affinity for factor 10a
Can affect aPTT levels
Cannot bind to thrombin already in a clot
LMWHs have more predictable PK parameters vs heparin (allows fixed doses of LMWH with less dose adjustment)