Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in older patients: Results from the Spanish TTP Registry (REPTT).

Immune thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (iTTP) is an ultra-rare disease that seldom occurs in the elderly. Few reports have studied the clinical course of iTTP in older patients. In this study, we have analysed the clinical characteristics at presentation and response to therapy in a series of 44 patients with iTTP ≥60 years at diagnosis from the Spanish TTP Registry and compared them with 209 patients with <60 years at diagnosis from the same Registry. Similar symptoms and laboratory results were described in both groups, except for a higher incidence of renal dysfunction among older patients (23% vs. 43.1%; p = 0.008). Front-line treatment in patients ≥60 years was like that administered in younger patients. Also, no evidence of a difference in clinical response and overall survival was seen in both groups. Of note, 14 and 25 patients ≥60 years received treatment with caplacizumab and rituximab, respectively, showing a favourable safety and efficacy profile, like that observed in patients <60 years.

Impact of the ENDORSE study results on thromboprophylaxis prescribing patterns in medical patients attending the emergency department.

AIMS: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the ENDORSE study results on thromboprophylaxis prescribing patterns in medical patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) by assessing prescribing appropriateness at admission. METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational, descriptive study was designed and included all adult medical patients admitted from an ED between 20 November 2012 and 26 November 2012 at a large tertiary hospital. Patients to whom anticoagulants were prescribed for therapeutic purposes, patients admitted to Intensive Care Unit or maternity wards were excluded. Prescribing appropriateness was assessed using the Padua Prediction Score (ACCP 2012 guideline) for thromboembolic risk assessment and the NICE model to determine risk of bleeding. The primary end-point was the adequacy of thromboprophylaxis prescribed at the ED according to the ACCP 2012 guideline. RESULTS: A total of 393 patients were examined and 207 patients were included in the study (53.1% were male) with a median age of 75.3 years. The most common diagnosis at admission was related to a respiratory disease (41.1%). In 34.8% of the patients (72 patients), the recommendation of prophylaxis according to ACCP 2012 guideline did not match with the prophylaxis prescribed at admission. Reasons for non-concordance were undertreatment (14.5%) and overtreatment (20.3%). CONCLUSIONS: The adequacy of thromboprophylaxis in high risk patients for VTE has improved compared with the ENDORSE study. However, the percentage of patients with discordant prescriptions remains high. Despite the existence of treatment omissions, this percentage has been overcome by patients overtreated.

[Comparison of hemostatic markers under different techniques for anesthesia-analgesia in total hip or knee replacement]. / Comparación de los marcadores de la hemostasia dependiendo de la técnica anestésica/analgésica empleada en cirugía de prótesis de rodilla y cadera.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Surgery promotes a state of hypercoagulability, predisposing to the possibility of postoperative thromboembolic complications. Our aim was to determine whether certain combinations of techniques (neuraxial, intravenous or both) for anesthesia and analgesia might be associated with attenuation of the prethrombotic state following total hip or knee replacement. METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study of 45 patients undergoing elective hip or knee prosthetic surgery. The patients were randomized to 3 groups to receive different anesthesia-analgesia combinations: spinal-intravenous, spinal-epidural, or general-intravenous. From induction until 36 hours after surgery, we recorded the postoperative time course of the following markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis: platelet count; fibrinogen level; activated partial thromboplastin time; international normalized ratio; and levels of prothrombin activation fragments 1 and 2, thrombin-antithrombin III complex, and D-dimer. RESULTS: No statistically significant between-group differences were found in patient demographic, clinical, surgical or postoperative data. No symptomatic thromboembolic complications or deaths were recorded in the 30 days after surgery. Statistically significant differences were found in laboratory results for samples taken 36 hours after surgery. Patients who received spinal-epidural anesthesia and analgesia had lower levels of prothrombin activation fragments 1 and 2 and longer activated partial thromboplastin times than the group receiving the spinal-intravenous combination. CONCLUSIONS: The anesthetic technique used during surgery did not affect hemostasis. However, continuous epidural analgesia in the postoperative recovery period attenuated some markers of hypercoagulability.

Comparación de los marcadores de la hemostasia dependiendo de la técnica anestésica/analgésica empleada en cirugía de prótesis de rodilla y cadera / Comparison of hemostatic markers under different techniques for anesthesia-analgesia in total hip or knee replacement

INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVO: La cirugía provoca unestado de hipercoagulabilidad en el postoperatorio quepuede predisponer a complicaciones tromboembólicas.El objetivo de este estudio es determinar si una combinaciónde técnicas anestésicas/analgésicas (neuroaxialeso intravenosas o ambas) se asocia con una atenuacióndel estado pretrombótico en el postoperatorio de cirugíade prótesis total de rodilla y cadera.MÉTODOS: Estudio longitudinal y prospectivo con 45pacientes sometidos a cirugía electiva ortopédica de rodillao cadera. Los pacientes fueron distribuidos aleatoriamentea 3 grupos dependiendo de las técnicas anestésicas/analgésicas empleadas: subaracnoidea/intravenosa,subaracnoidea/epidural y general/intravenosa. Se siguióla evolución temporal de los siguientes marcadores deactivación de la coagulación y fibrinolisis, desde elmomento previo a la inducción hasta 36 horas después dela cirugía: número de plaquetas, fibrinógeno, tiempo detromboplastina parcial activada, relación normalizadainternacional, fragmento de activación de protrombinaF1+2, complejo trombina-antitrombina III y dímero-D.RESULTADOS: No encontramos ninguna diferenciaestadísticamente significativa entre los grupos en términosde características demográficas, datos intraoperatorioso postoperatorios. No hubo complicaciones tromboembólicasclínicamente sintomáticas, ni fallecimientos enlos primeros 30 días del postoperatorio. Encontramosdiferencias estadísticamente significativas entre los gruposen las muestras obtenidas 36 h después de la cirugía,donde el grupo de pacientes anestesiados con anestesiasubaracnoidea/epidural presentaba menores cifras defragmentos F1+2 y un tiempo de tromboplastina parcialactivada más prolongado, comparado con el grupo anestesiadocon anestesia subaracnoidea/intravenosa...(AU)

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Surgery promotes a stateof hypercoagulability, predisposing to the possibility ofpostoperative thromboembolic complications. Our aimwas to determine whether certain combinations oftechniques (neuraxial, intravenous or both) foranesthesia and analgesia might be associated withattenuation of the prethrombotic state following total hipor knee replacement.METHODS: Prospective longitudinal study of 45 patientsundergoing elective hip or knee prosthetic surgery. Thepatients were randomized to 3 groups to receive differentanesthesia–analgesia combinations: spinal–intravenous,spinal–epidural, or general–intravenous. From inductionuntil 36 hours after surgery, we recorded thepostoperative time course of the following markers ofcoagulation and fibrinolysis: platelet count; fibrinogenlevel; activated partial thromboplastin time; internationalnormalized ratio; and levels of prothrombin activationfragments 1 and 2, thrombin-antithrombin III complex,and D-dimer.) RESULTS: No statistically significant between-groupdifferences were found in patient demographic, clinical,surgical or postoperative data. No symptomaticthromboembolic complications or deaths were recordedin the 30 days after surgery. Statistically significantdifferences were found in laboratory results for samplestaken 36 hours after surgery. Patients who receivedspinal–epidural anesthesia and analgesia had lowerlevels of prothrombin activation fragments 1 and 2 andlonger activated partial thromboplastin times than thegroup receiving the spinal–intravenous combination.CONCLUSIONS: The anesthetic technique used duringsurgery did not affect hemostasis. However, continuousepidural analgesia in the postoperative recovery periodattenuated some markers of hypercoagulability(AU)