The venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in patients receiving thoracic surgery: A systematic review

A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of a Collaborative-Wide Quality Improvement Project to Improve Postdischarge Venous Thromboembolism Chemoprophylaxis After Abdominopelvic Cancer Surgery

Objective

We studied a collaborative-wide quality improvement project (CQIP) focused on improving postdischarge venous thromboembolism (VTE) chemoprophylaxis adherence. We aimed to identify patient-level characteristics associated with adherence, evaluate differences in adherence rates among participating hospitals, and assess facilitators and barriers to adherence at high- and low-performing hospitals.

Background

VTE is the most common preventable cause of death after abdominopelvic cancer surgery, yet adherence to guideline-recommended postdischarge VTE chemoprophylaxis remains suboptimal. A CQIP including audit and feedback of performance data, a toolkit, coaching calls, and best practice alerts was implemented.

Methods

Patients undergoing inpatient abdominopelvic cancer surgery at a CQIP-enrolled hospital during a 3-year study period were included. Unadjusted and adjusted rates were calculated for postdischarge VTE chemoprophylaxis adherence. High performance was defined as >10% improvement and/or ≥80% adherence. We conducted semistructured interviews and focus groups with collaborative members to identify barriers and facilitators to implementation.

Results

Postdischarge VTE chemoprophylaxis adherence increased from 51.8% (preimplementation) to 64.5% (postimplementation; P < 0.05). Patients who underwent urologic (odds ratio [OR], 1.76 [95% CI, 1.27-2.43]) and gynecologic procedures (OR, 3.90 [95% CI, 2.73-5.58]) were more likely prescribed appropriate VTE chemoprophylaxis compared with colorectal procedures. Eight hospitals (50%) had improvement in adherence rates, and 8 (50%) were high performers. Barriers to implementation included a lack of surgeon buy-in, technical challenges, and a lack of awareness.

Conclusions

A CQIP was associated with increased postdischarge VTE adherence rates. Different barriers exist between high- and low-performing hospitals. Future collaborative work should focus on hospital-level interventions to improve low-performer results.

Association between bariatric surgery preoperative chemoprophylaxis and postoperative bleeding

BACKGROUND

Use of chemoprophylaxis for prevention of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after bariatric surgery is a generally accepted principle; however, the optimal strategy in terms of medication type and pre- and postoperative dosing is uncertain. In our healthcare system, four hospitals performed bariatric surgery and utilized differing protocols for VTE prophylaxis. The analysis sought to evaluate the association of differing prophylaxis strategies on bleeding and VTE occurrence.

METHODS

Adult patients who underwent laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (SG) or Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) from 2018 to 2021 at four hospitals were studied. Patients were grouped by whether or not they received preoperative chemoprophylaxis. The primary outcome was postoperative bleeding, defined as requiring a blood transfusion or reoperation for bleeding within 30 days. Bivariate analyses were performed with Chi-square and Wilcoxon Rank tests where applicable. Multivariate logistic regression was performed for the outcome of postoperative bleeding.

RESULTS

A total of 2145 bariatric surgeries were evaluated (33.6% RYGB, 66.4% SG). Among 1712 patients who underwent surgery at Hospitals A, B, and C, 93.1% received preoperative VTE prophylaxis, compared with 1 patient (0.1%) among 433 patients operated on at Hospital D. Postoperative bleeding occurred more frequently in patients who received preoperative VTE prophylaxis versus those who did not (3.7% vs 1.1%; p < 0.01). After multivariable regression analysis, only RYGB (OR 3.59; p < 0.01) and preoperative VTE prophylaxis (OR 3.54; p = 0.02) were significantly associated with postoperative bleeding. Rates of VTE for patients receiving preoperative VTE prophylaxis or no prophylaxis were not significantly different (0.6% vs. 0.2%; p = 0.26).

DISCUSSION

Preoperative VTE prophylaxis prior to bariatric surgery was associated with postoperative bleeding without differences in VTE occurrence. These results call into question the routine use of VTE chemoprophylaxis for all patients undergoing bariatric surgery and favor selective usage.

Lung Cancer Related Thrombosis (LCART): Focus on Immune Checkpoint Blockade

Cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) is a common complication in lung cancer patients. Lung cancer confers an increased risk of thrombosis compared to other solid malignancies across all stages of the disease. Newer treatment agents, including checkpoint immunotherapy and targeted agents, may further increase the risk of CAT. Different risk-assessment models, such as the Khorana Risk Score, and newer approaches that incorporate genetic risk factors have been used in lung cancer patients to evaluate the risk of thrombosis. The management of CAT is based on the results of large prospective trials, which show similar benefits to low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) in ambulatory patients. The anticoagulation agent and duration of therapy should be personalized according to lung cancer stage and histology, the presence of driver mutations and use of antineoplastic therapy, including recent curative lung surgery, chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Treatment options should be evaluated in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been shown to impact the thrombotic risk in cancer patients. This review focuses on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, novel predictive scores and management of CAT in patients with active lung cancer, with a focus on immune checkpoint inhibitors.

GOx-Powered Janus Platelet Nanomotors for Targeted Delivery of Thrombolytic Drugs in Treating Thrombotic Diseases

Low efficiency of targeting and delivery toward the thrombus site poses challenges to using thrombolytic drugs. Inspired by the biomimetic system of platelet membranes (PMs) and glucose oxidase (GOx) modification technologies, we develop a novel GOx-powered Janus nanomotor by asymmetrically attaching the GOx to polymeric nanomotors coated with the PMs. Then the PM-coated nanomotors were conjugated with urokinase plasminogen activators (uPAs) on their surfaces. The PM-camouflaged design conferred excellent biocompatibility to the nanomotors and improved their targeting ability to thrombus. The Janus distribution of GOx also allows the uneven decomposition of glucose in biofluids to produce a chemophoretic motion, increasing the drug delivery efficiency of nanomotors. In addition, these nanomotors are located at the lesion site due to the mutual adhesion and aggregation of platelet membranes. Furthermore, thrombolysis effects of nanomotors are enhanced in static and dynamic thrombus as well as in mouse models. It is believed that the novel PM-coated enzyme-powered nanomotors represent a great value for thrombolysis treatment.