Nephrotic syndrome presenting as deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism

A patient presenting with a swollen left leg and pleuritic chest pain was shown to have deep vein thrombosis (DVT) by Doppler studies. He was anticoagulated but required two further admissions with swelling of both legs before a diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome was considered and confirmed. Renal biopsy showed that this was caused by membranous nephropathy. Two audits were subsequently conducted. The first was of diagnostic discharge codes for nephrotic syndrome and venous thromboembolism in south west Scotland (population 147,000) from 1997 to 2006. A diagnosis of nephrotic syndrome was confirmed in 32 patients, four (12.5%) of whom (including the index case) had presented with DVT (two) or pulmonary embolus (PE) (two). A second audit of 98 consecutive patients with Doppler-positive lower limb DVT presenting to A&E in Dumfries from July 2005 to July 2006 showed that the urine had been tested for protein in one case only. Although nephrotic syndrome remains an uncommon cause of DVT or PE, it is complicated by venous thromboembolism sufficiently frequently for the diagnosis to be considered in all patients with DVT or PE, for whom the take-home message should simply be-Don't forget to dip the urine or ignore a low serum albumin.     

Controversies in pulmonary embolism and deep venous thrombosis

The diagnosis of venous thromboembolic disease, and pulmonary embolism in particular, remains problematic. Physicians should strongly consider empiric anticoagulation if the best available diagnostic tests are inconclusive, because treatment is usually safe and successful. Twice-daily subcutaneous low-molecular-weight heparin, dosed without monitoring, may eventually replace standard heparin for most treatment of venous thromboembolism, but it is not yet labeled for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. Deep venous thromboembolism and pulmonary embolism should be treated with anticoagulants rather than inferior vena cava filters, even in oncology patients, unless anticoagulation is contraindicated; if so, when the contraindication remits, anticoagulation should be employed. The most effective prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in at-risk patients should be used, with prolonged duration if evidence from clinical trials supports efficacy and safety. Low-dose warfarin should be used to prevent venous thrombosis and indwelling central venous catheter thrombosis in patients with cancer.     

Management of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

The management of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is changing dramatically. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved outpatient treatment of DVT with the low-molecular-weight heparin enoxaparin as a bridge to warfarin. Warfarin use is improved by avoiding loading doses and by recognizing previously unappreciated interactions and potentiation with commonly used medications such as acetaminophen. The importance of isolated calf and upper-extremity venous thromboses has been validated, so that patients with these conditions routinely undergo anticoagulation. Risk stratification for PE is becoming more sophisticated because practitioners now assess right ventricular function (usually by echocardiography) instead of relying solely on systemic arterial blood pressure and heart rate to determine prognosis. Among patients with massive DVT or hemodynamically unstable PE, thrombolysis, thrombectomy, and embolectomy (often performed in an interventional angiography laboratory) are being used with increasing skill and improved outcomes.     

Determining the clinical probability of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are potentially life-threatening problems that present diagnostic challenges. To employ objective diagnostic tests in an efficient, safe, and cost-effective manner, the clinical probability of these disorders should be estimated before testing. A number of clinical prediction rules are available for suspected deep venous thrombosis, while there are three major prediction rules available for estimating the probability of pulmonary embolism. Recent modifications of the Wells score for deep venous thrombosis simplify its use. Although the Wells score for pulmonary embolism is commonly used, two other rules are useful for this disorder as well. This review summarizes the clinical prediction rules and gives recommendations about their application.     

胸腹腔镜术后下肢静脉血栓形成及肺动脉栓塞

目的研究胸腹腔镜术后下肢深静脉血栓形成及肺动脉栓塞的发生原因及防治方法。方法回顾总结2001年3月-2003年6月收治的胸腹腔镜术后8例，胸腔镜术后4例下肢深静脉血栓形成及其中2例肺动脉栓塞的病人资料。结果12例病人诊为深静脉血栓形成后均予卧床休息，抬高患肢，使用肝素、尿激酶抗凝、溶栓。2例肺栓塞行2h溶栓，1例发生肺栓塞后出现心跳、呼吸骤停，予心肺复苏、溶栓抢救成功。全组病例均痊愈出院。结论胸腹腔镜术后下肢深静脉血栓形成有一定的发病率，要尽早抗凝、溶栓治疗，其中部分病人可能发生大面积肺动脉栓塞，要及时予以大剂量尿激酶溶栓，才能挽救病人生命。高危病人术前可植入腔静脉滤器防治致死性肺动脉栓塞。     

Tinzaparin in outpatients with pulmonary embolism or deep vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND: The low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) have been shown to be effective in the outpatient treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Data regarding outpatient use of any LMWH in pulmonary embolism (PE) or tinzaparin in DVT while transitioning therapy to a vitamin K antagonist are limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety and efficacy of tinzaparin in patients with either DVT or PE being transitioned to warfarin during LMWH therapy in the outpatient setting. METHODS: All patients who were treated with at least one outpatient dose of tinzaparin for venous thromboembolism (VTE) were identified. Charts of all patients followed within the University of California Davis healthcare system were reviewed. The incidence of bleeding and recurrent thromboembolism over a minimum of the first 4 weeks to a maximum of 12 weeks after initiating anticoagulation was assessed. RESULTS: A total of 178 patients with acute VTE were treated with tinzaparin, and outcomes could be determined in 140 cases. Forty-seven percent of these patients had objectively documented PE. Only one (0.7%) case of recurrent VTE was observed. Major bleeding was documented in 5 (3.6%) and minor bleeding in 8 (5.8%) patients. Two bleeding events, both major, occurred during tinzaparin therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Outpatient use of tinzaparin during transition to warfarin therapy in the treatment of VTE, including PE, appears to be feasible in patients who are judged candidates for home therapy.     

Diagnosis of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The tests and their limitations

Pulmonary embolism and venous thrombosis are ubiquitous diseases with significant morbidity and mortality and for which successful although risky treatments are available. Accurate diagnosis is therefore necessary and requires testing beyond the physical examination and history. The number of tests proposed over the years compared with the number in current use attests to the problems with the methods. The more definitive tests are also more invasive, riskier, and more expensive. Individual experience in performance and interpretation of the available tests is of great importance in achieving accurate results, and thus the best scheme for investigation of the patient varies from institution to institution. The most accepted and practiced scheme would involve contrast venography as the initial and final test for suspected venous thrombosis, and pulmonary perfusion imaging (with use of chest radiography in all instances and ventilation imaging in most instances) as the screening test for pulmonary embolism, followed by pulmonary angiography when the scan is not definitive or the clinical picture is divergent from the scan results.     

Prophylaxis for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the surgical patient

The fifth American College of Chest Physicians Consensus Conference on Antithrombotic Therapy provides the most up-to-date guidelines for the prevention of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in the surgical patient (1). These recommendations have become a major guideline for clinicians managing patients in the perioperative period. Despite these recommendations, there remains a concern for balancing the risk of major postoperative bleeding with the benefit of preventing thrombosis. In an attempt to resolve this issue, clinicians have requested clear-cut guidelines for identification of high-risk groups for whom prophylaxis must be used. This article will review the etiology, risk-factor stratification, regimens of prophylaxis, and recommendations for prevention of postoperative DVT and PE.     

Diagnostic role of ED ultrasound in deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.

Proximal deep venous thrombosis (DVT), which may lead to pulmonary embolism (PE), is one of the serious and underrecognized causes of lower extremity pain and swelling. The diagnosis of DVT requires a confirmatory objective test because clinical signs and symptoms are unreliable. Assessment of thigh vein compressibility with real-time ultrasound is an accurate test for DVT that may be performed rapidly at the bedside. Although unproven, we propose that wider use of this test in the emergency department by emergency physicians might increase the diagnosis of DVT, prevent PE, and reduce utilization of other more costly and invasive diagnostic tests. Evaluation of DVT by compression ultrasound may also be incorporated in the diagnostic workup of suspected PE. In the case of a nondiagnostic ventilation/perfusion scan, demonstration of proximal DVT by ultrasound represents a likely source of PE and an indication for anticoagulation, eliminating the need for pulmonary angiography. In the critically ill patient whose presentation is consistent with massive PE, one rapid approach to the diagnosis may be to combine transthoracic echocardiography with lower extremity ultrasound.     

急、慢性肺血栓栓塞症患者的护理

静脉血栓栓塞症(venous thromboembolism,VTE)是把深静脉血栓栓塞症(deep venous thrombosis,DVT)和肺栓塞(pulmonary embolism,PE)作为整体理解,肺栓塞是来自全身静脉系统或右心的栓子游离后阻塞肺动脉或其分支引起的肺循环和呼吸功能障碍的临床综合征.     

Incidence and mortality of venous thrombosis: a population-based study

Background: Estimates of the incidence of venous thrombosis (VT) vary, and data on mortality are limited. Objectives: We estimated the incidence and mortality of a first VT event in a general population. Methods: From the residents of Nord‐Trøndelag county in Norway aged 20 years and older (n = 94 194), we identified all cases with an objectively verified diagnosis of VT that occurred between 1995 and 2001. Patients and diagnosis characteristics were retrieved from medical records. Results: Seven hundred and forty patients were identified with a first diagnosis of VT during 516 405 person‐years of follow‐up. The incidence rate for all first VT events was 1.43 per 1000 person‐years [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.33–1.54], that for deep‐vein thrombosis (DVT) was 0.93 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI: 0.85–1.02), and that for pulmonary embolism (PE) was 0.50 per 1000 person‐years (95% CI: 0.44–0.56). The incidence rates increased exponentially with age, and were slightly higher in women than in men. The 30‐day case‐fatality rate was higher in patients with PE than in those with DVT [9.7% vs. 4.6%, risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI: 1.2–3.7)]; it was also higher in patients with cancer than in patients without cancer [19.1% vs. 3.6%, risk ratio 3.8 (95% CI 1.6–9.2)]. The risk of dying was highest in the first months subsequent to the VT, after which it gradually approached the mortality rate in the general population. Conclusions: This study provides estimates of incidence and mortality of a first VT event in the general population.     

双源CT一站式扫描诊断急性肺栓塞与深静脉血栓

目的 评价双源CT(DSCT)一站式扫描对急性肺栓塞(PE)及深静脉血栓(DVT)的诊断价值。方法 采用DSCT对56例临床疑诊急性PE患者先行肺动脉成像(CTPA),间隔120~180 s后再行深静脉成像(CTV)。利用MPR和MIP观察PE和DVT分布情况。56例中,12例于CTPA检查发现PE后接受DSA检查。以血管节段为单位,记录双源CT和DSA对PE和DVT的诊断结果,并与DSA检查结果进行比较。结果 12例PE患者中发现DVT 11例,CTPA对肺段及亚段动脉PE的检出率明显高于DSA(χ²=8.34、92.65,P均<0.01),对肺叶动脉及以上级别血管PE的检出率与DSA差异无统计学意义(P均>0.05)。CTV对DVT的检出率与DSA相比差异无统计学意义(χ²=0.667,P=0.414)。以DSA为金标准,CTV评价DVT的敏感度、特异度、准确率分别为92.16%(47/51)、96.49%(55/57)、94.44%(102/108)。结论 双源CT一站式扫描可同时准确地诊断急性PE及DVT。     

Diagnostic approach to deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism in the critical care setting

Considerable progress has been made during the last 30 years in the prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of venous thromboembolism. This article discusses the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical presentation of the disease as well as the diagnostic uncertainty that exists in the critical care setting. Diagnostic approaches for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are considered, including clinical prediction rules, D-dimer, contrast venography, duplex ultrasonography, computed tomographic angiography and venography, magnetic resonance imaging, ventilation–perfusion scanning, chest radiograph, arterial blood gases, electrocardiography, and echocardiography.     

Diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism

Traditional approaches to diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are primarily based on the results of compression ultrasonography and the ventilation/perfusion lung scan (V/Q). Spiral computed tomographic imaging may replace the V/Q scan, and the D-Dimer assay may guide evaluation.     

Duration of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism prophylaxis after joint arthroplasty

One of the most important complications after joint arthroplasty is the development of deep vein thrombosis. Despite effective prophylaxis modalities, studies have shown a significant incidence of thrombotic events after hospital discharge. This article reviews the literature on the incidence of deep vein thrombosis and provides recommendations for managing postoperative joint replacement patients.