In the Literature: HM-Related Research You Need to Know

The Hospitalist. 2011 February;2011(02):

February 1, 2011|The Hospitalist

Jill Goldenberg, MD;Alan Briones, MD;Chad Craig, MD;Ramiro Jervis, MD, FHM;Brian Markoff, MD, FHM;Andrew Dunn, MD, FACP, FHM;Division OF

In This Edition

Literature at a Glance

A guide to this month’s studies

Effects of extended VTE prophylaxis in medical patients
Outcomes with and without preprocedural statins
Association of subclinical hypothyroidism and CHD
BP treatment after intracerebral hemorrhage
Outcomes of ICD therapy in the elderly
Systems delays and outcomes of STEMI
D-dimer to predict recurrent VTE
Stocking height and risk of post-stroke DVT

Extending Anticoagulant Prophylaxis after Medical Hospitalization Decreases VTE, Increases Major Bleeding

Clinical question: For patients with acute medical illness, does extending low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) administration for up to 28 days after discharge reduce the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE)?

Background: DVT and pulmonary embolism (PE) are common hospital-acquired complications. LMWH has been shown to reduce VTE for medical and surgical patients, and extended-duration LMWH reduces VTE in high-risk surgical patients. Whether extending anticoagulant prophylaxis after discharge for acutely ill medical patients with reduced mobility improves outcomes is unknown.

Study design: Randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Setting: Three hundred seventy hospitals in 20 countries.

Synopsis: Eligible patients were >40 years old, hospitalized with acute medical illness, and had reduced mobility for ≥3 days. Patients received enoxaparin 40 mg SC daily prophylaxis while hospitalized and were then randomized to an additional 28±4 days of enoxaparin or placebo. Patients received a screening ultrasound to assess for asymptomatic DVT. The primary outcome was a composite of asymptomatic proximal DVT, symptomatic DVT or PE, or fatal PE during the period of extended prophylaxis.

An interim analysis indicated that extended prophylaxis was ineffective; at that time, the protocol was amended to target patients with severe immobility or with moderate immobility plus an additional risk factor (e.g. cancer, prior VTE, or age >75).

The study found that extended prophylaxis decreased the composite VTE outcome (2.5% vs 4.0%, P<0.05) and symptomatic VTE (0.2% vs 1.0%, P<0.05). The incidence of major bleeding was increased in the extended prophylaxis group (0.8% vs 0.3%, P<0.05). There was no difference in mortality.

The unplanned, midstudy protocol amendment to target higher-risk patients is a concern, though the final analyses included patients pre- and post-amendment.

Bottom line: Extending LMWH beyond hospitalization for patients admitted with acute medical illness and decreased mobility decreases VTE, but increases major bleeding.

Citation: Hull RD, Schellong SM, Tapson VF, et al. Extended-duration venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in acutely ill medical patients with recently reduced mobility: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153(1);8-18.

Clinical Short

PROTON-PUMP INHIBITORS (PPIS) INCREASE THE RISK FOR RECURRENT CLOSTRIDIUM DIFFICILE INFECTION (CDI)

Restrospective cohort study of 1,166 patients treated for CDI with metronidizole or vancomycin found that the 527 patients treated with PPIs within 14 days of diagnosis had a 42% increased risk of CDI recurrence.

Citation: Linsky A, Gupta K, Lawler EV, Fonda JR, Hermos JA. Proton pump inhibitors and risk for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection. Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(9):772-778.

Preprocedural Statin Therapy Reduces Postprocedural Myocardial Infarction

Clinical question: Does statin therapy reduce periprocedural cardiovascular events?

Background: Myocardial infarction (MI) and death are inherent risks of invasive procedures. Reduction of these risks in certain patient populations has been shown with the use of a beta blockade. Statins have shown promise during acute coronary syndrome. Questions remain about the role of statin therapy before invasive procedures in reducing adverse cardiovascular events.

Study design: Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Setting: Twenty-one studies involving 4,805 patients, published from inception of MEDLINE, Cochrane, and Clinicaltrials to February 2010.

Synopsis: The use of statins one to seven days preprocedure significantly reduced post-procedural MI in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) (P<0.0001). Statins given approximately four weeks in advance of noncardiac surgical procedures also significantly reduced postprocedural MI (P=0.004). An absolute risk reduction of 5.8% for postprocedural MI was found after PCI and 4.1% in noncardiac surgical procedures.