A review of venous thromboembolism risk assessment models for different patient populations: What we know and don’t!

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Globally, it is also the third leading vascular disease, after myocardial infarction and stroke. The incidence of VTE is reportedly higher in Western countries than in Asian countries. However, recent reports suggest an increasing incidence of VTE in Asian countries, including India. Since VTE is largely a preventable disease, early identification of risk factors can lead to disease prevention or the adoption of appropriate prophylactic measures. To this end, several VTE risk assessment models (RAMs) have been developed and validated for different populations who are at risk of developing VTE, such as hospitalized patients with medical illness/surgical indication, patients with cancer, and pregnant women. Evidence indicates that the systematic use of RAMs improves prophylaxis rates and lowers the burden of VTE. Given the increasing burden of VTE in the Indian population and poor prophylaxis rates, the implementation of systematic RAMs in routine clinical practice might ameliorate the disease burden in the country. We have assessed the evidence-based utilities of available RAMs and have delineated the most common and suitable RAMs for different populations including coronavirus disease 2019 affected patients. This review depicts the current status of implementation and validation of RAMs in the Indian scenario. It also highlights the need for additional validation studies, improved awareness, and implementation of RAMs in clinical practice for lowering the burden of VTE.