[Angiology and hemostasis: what's new in 2023]. / Angiologie et hémostase: ce qui a changé en 2023.

We discuss four topics among the angiology and hemostasis studies of importance in 2023. The BASIL-2 study provides new data for the management of chronic limb-threatening ischemia by comparing surgical and endovascular treatment. The new classification of antiphospholipid antibody (aPL) syndrome integrates new clinical elements and gives a different weight among the isotype and titer of aPL. Concizumab, an antibody targeting the tissue factor pathway inhibitor, broadens the therapeutic arsenal for hemophilia A and B as evidenced by the results of the EXPLORER 7 study. The PREVENT-CLOT and CASTING study focus on the prevention of thrombosis after trauma, by testing the role of aspirin or the lack of thromboprophylaxis, respectively.

Parmi les sujets d'angiologie et d'hémostase qui ont marqué l'année 2023, quatre ont retenu notre attention. L'étude BASIL-2 apporte de nouvelles données pour la prise en charge de l'ischémie critique des membres inférieurs en comparant les traitements chirurgical et endovasculaire. La nouvelle classification du syndrome des anticorps antiphospholipides (aPL) intègre de nouveaux items cliniques et donne un poids différent aux isotypes et titres des aPL. Le concizumab, un anticorps ciblant l'inhibiteur de la voie du facteur tissulaire, vient élargir l'arsenal thérapeutique pour les hémophilies A et B comme en témoignent les résultats de l'étude EXPLORER 7. Les études PREVENT-CLOT et CASTING s'intéressent à la prévention de la thrombose après traumatisme, en testant la place de l'aspirine ou l'absence de thromboprophylaxie.

[Hospital mechanical thromboprophylaxis]. / Thromboprophylaxie mécanique hospitalière.

Mechanical thromboprophylaxis is an important part of hospital prevention of venous thromboembolism. It comprises graduated compression stockings and intermittent pneumatic compression. In this review, we summarize its physiological effect on venous hemodynamics, recent clinical studies that offer contrasting results, and discuss its utility in contemporary clinical practice. Mechanical thromboprophylaxis is currently suggested in patients at high thrombotic and hemorrhagic risk, favoring intermittent pneumatic compression, but does not seem useful in addition to pharmacological thromboprophylaxis.

La thromboprophylaxie mécanique est une composante importante de la prévention hospitalière de la maladie thromboembolique veineuse. Elle comprend la compression graduée par bas ou chaussettes et la compression pneumatique intermittente (CPIn). Dans cet article, nous résumons son effet veineux physiologique et revenons sur les études cliniques récentes qui offrent des résultats contrastés. Enfin, nous discutons de sa place en clinique contemporaine. La thromboprophylaxie mécanique est actuellement suggérée chez des patients à hauts risques thrombotique et hémorragique, en privilégiant la compression pneumatique intermittente, mais ne semble pas utile en plus d'une thromboprophylaxie pharmacologique.

[Selected highlights in angiology and haemostasis for the year 2021]. / Angiologie-hémostase - Année 2021 : morceaux choisis.

Several topics among those that marked the year 2021 are discussed in this article. Factor XI represents an original target for new anticoagulants, and the first results of a phase 2 study of prophylaxis after knee replacement surgery are very promising. A real-life study confirms that the pulmonary embolism exclusion strategy using an age-adjusted D-dimer cut-off is safe and increases the diagnostic yield. Several studies of tranexamic acid provide further insight into the indications for its use and highlight some potential risks. Finally, the concerns regarding a potential risk of increased mortality related to paclitaxel-eluting technology used in lower limb revascularisation are questioned by the results of the latest trials.

Plusieurs sujets parmi ceux qui ont marqué l'année 2021 sont abordés dans cet article. Le facteur XI représente une cible originale pour de nouveaux anticoagulants et les premiers résultats d'une étude de phase 2 dans la prophylaxie après chirurgie du genou sont très prometteurs. Une étude de vie réelle confirme que la stratégie d'exclusion de l'embolie pulmonaire en utilisant un seuil de D-dimères adapté à l'âge est sûre et augmente le rendement diagnostique. Plusieurs études concernant l'acide tranexamique permettent de mieux cerner les indications de son utilisation et soulignent quelques risques potentiels. Finalement, les données récentes remettent en cause le risque de surmortalité liée à la technologie à élution au paclitaxel utilisée dans les interventions endovasculaires des membres inférieurs rapporté précédemment.

[Evolution in the endovascular management of lower limb arteriopathy]. / Évolution dans la prise en charge endovasculaire de l'artériopathie des membres inférieurs.

Arteriopathy of the lower limbs is a frequent pathology. In the face of persistent invalidating claudication or critical ischemia, surgical or endovascular revascularization treatment is necessary. The aim of this article is to review the evolution of the endovascular therapeutic arsenal of the femoropopliteal segment, to present the new endovascular devices available and to give current recommendations for post-interventional antithrombotic treatment.

L'artériopathie des membres inférieurs est une pathologie fréquente. Face à une claudication invalidante persistante ou à une ischémie critique, un traitement de revascularisation chirurgicale ou endovasculaire est nécessaire. Cet article a pour but de revenir sur l'évolution de l'arsenal thérapeutique endovasculaire du segment fémoro-poplité, de présenter les nouveaux dispositifs endovasculaires disponibles et de faire part des recommandations actuelles du traitement antithrombotique postinterventionnel.

[Arteriofit: a supervised exercise training program, recommended as a first-line treatment in intermittent claudication]. / Artériofit : un programme recommandé en première intention pour le traitement de la claudication intermittente.

Lower extremities arterial disease (LEAD) is the third most common manifestation of atherosclerosis. The number of cardiovascular events in this population is similar to that of coronary artery disease. Management consists mainly of strict control of cardiovascular risk factors, optimal pharmacological treatment and supervised exercise training. Supervised exercise training is superior to other exercise modalities in terms of increased walking time, maximum walking distance, pain-free walking distance and quality of life scores. In association with revascularization, the benefits are enhanced. In Switzerland, federal programs have been created on this basis and exist in many cities. They are little known and yet essential.

L'insuffisance artérielle des membres inférieurs est la troisième manifestation la plus fréquente de l'athérosclérose. Le nombre d'événements cardiovasculaires dans cette population est similaire à celui des malades coronariens. La prise en charge consiste en un contrôle strict des facteurs de risque cardiovasculaires, un traitement pharmacologique optimal et l'entraînement supervisé à la marche. L'entraînement supervisé est supérieur aux autres modalités d'exercices en termes d'augmentation du temps de marche, de la distance maximale de marche, de la distance de marche sans douleur et des scores de qualité de vie. En association avec une revascularisation, les bénéfices sont majorés. En Suisse, des programmes fédéraux ont été créés sur ces bases et existent dans de nombreuses villes. Ils sont méconnus et pourtant essentiels.

[Venous thrombotic risk related to SARS-CoV-2†: prevalence, recommendations and perspectives]. / Risque thrombotique veineux induit par le SARS-CoV-2†: prévalence, recommandations et perspectives.

Since the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic outbreak, growing evidence suggests that patients suffering from COVID-19 are at increased risk of thrombotic events. The sepsis-related activation of the coagulation combined with a high prevalence of common thrombotic risk factors could contribute to this prothrombotic state. Coagulation biomarkers could help in the identification of patients at risk of complications and mortality. The incidence of venous thromboembolic events appears to be increased, especially in severe COVID-19 patients. Based on that knowledge, several societies have provided recommendation on the prevention of venous thromboembolism. In this narrative review, we summarize available epidemiologic data on venous thromboembolism and recommendations on thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19.

Depuis le début de l'épidémie de SARS-CoV-2, des faisceaux d'évidences suggèrent que les patients souffrant de COVID-19 sont à risque augmenté d'événements thrombotiques. L'activation de la coagulation secondaire au sepsis associée à des facteurs de risques thrombotiques classiques pourrait contribuer à cet état prothrombotique. Les marqueurs de la coagulation semblent stratifier le risque de détérioration clinique et de mortalité. Le risque de la maladie thromboembolique veineuse (MTEV) semble très élevé, notamment chez les patients sévèrement atteints. Dans ce contexte, de nombreuses sociétés savantes ont émis des recommandations pour la prévention de la MTEV. Nous proposons une mise à jour des connaissances actuelles sur les données épidémiologiques disponibles et sur les recommandations pour la prévention de la MTEV dans le COVID-19.

[Management of a foot ulcer in a patient with diabetes]. / Ulcère du pied chez un patient avec un diabète : quelle prise en charge médico-chirurgicale ?

Despite a benign appearance, any foot injury occurring in a patient with diabetes requires multidisciplinary management if dreaded complications such as amputation are to be avoided. From a pathophysiological point of view, foot ulcer generally results from the combination of lower extremity neuropathy, mechanical overload, immunopathy and vascular insufficiency. The treatment associates in all cases an offloading and one or more debridements. Depending on the grade of the ulcer, adjuvant treatments, such as antibiotic therapy, revascularization, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy may be indicated.

En dépit d'un aspect bénin, toute plaie au niveau d'un pied survenant chez un patient avec un diabète nécessite une prise en charge multidisciplinaire si l'on veut éviter des complications redoutables comme une amputation. D'un point de vue physiopathologique, l'ulcère du pied résulte généralement de la combinaison entre une neuropathie des membres inférieurs, une surcharge mécanique, une immunopathie et une insuffisance vasculaire. La prise en charge associe dans tous les cas une décharge et un ou plusieurs débridements. Selon la gravité de l'ulcère, des traitements adjuvants sont indiqués, tels qu'une antibiothérapie, une revascularisation et une oxygénothérapie hyperbare.

[Peripherally inserted central catheters : indications, contraindications, complications]. / Cathéters centraux insérés par voie périphérique,Indications, contre-indications et complications.

Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) can be used for short to medium-term administration of intravenous treatments. Their main advantages lie in their ease of insertion and removal, compared with other types of central venous access. Complications of PICC include mechanical complications, infections and vein thrombosis. This review describes the indications, contraindications, methods of insertion and complications of PICC.

Les cathéters centraux insérés par voie veineuse périphérique (en anglais : PICC- peripherally inserted central catheter) peuvent être utilisés pour l'administration de traitements intraveineux de courte à moyenne durée. Ils possèdent certains avantages par rapport aux autres types d'accès veineux centraux, notamment leurs facilités de pose et de retrait. Leur utilisation peut s'accompagner de complications de type mécanique, infectieux ou thrombotique. Dans cet article, nous discutons les indications et contre-indications à la mise en place de ce type de cathéter. Nous décrivons également les techniques de mise en place ainsi que les complications en lien avec le PICC.

Tip malposition of peripherally inserted central catheters: a prospective randomized controlled trial to compare bedside insertion to fluoroscopically guided placement.

OBJECTIVE: Peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC) use continues to increase, leading to the development of a blind bedside technique (BST) for placement. The aim of our study was to compare the BST with the fluoroscopically guided technique (FGT), with specific regard to catheter tip position (CTP). MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred eighty patients were randomized to either the BST or the FGT. All procedures were done by the same interventional team and included postprocedural chest X-ray to assess CTP. Depending on the international guidelines for optimal CTP, patients were classified in three types: optimal, suboptimal not needing repositioning, and nonoptimal requiring additional repositioning procedures. Fisher's test was used for comparisons. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-one PICCs were successful inserted. In the BST groups, 23.3% of placements were suboptimal and 30% nonoptimal, requiring repositioning. In the FGT group, 5.6% were suboptimal and 1.1% nonoptimal. Thus, suboptimal and nonoptimal CTP were significantly lower in the FGT group (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Tip malposition rates are high when using blind BST, exposing the patient to an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis and catheter malfunction. Using the FGT or emerging technologies that could help tip positioning are recommended, especially for long-term indications. KEY POINTS: • Bedside and fluoroscopy guided techniques are commonly used for PICC placement. • Catheter malposition is the major technical issue with the bedside technique. • Catheter malposition occurred in 53% of patients with the bedside technique.

[Foam sclerotherapy to treat varicose veins]. / Traitement des varices par échosclérothérapie à la mousse.

The ultrasound-guided foam sclerotherapy (UGFS) involves the injection of a sclerosing agent into a target vein under ultrasonographic guidance. The goal of this treatment is to harm the venous endothelium to achieve the destruction of the vein wall by a fibrosis phenomenon. In this article, we discuss indications and contraindications of UGFS. We also describe the technique, its efficacy and its complications.

L'échosclérothérapie à la mousse (ESM) consiste en l'injection dans une veine cible d'un agent sclérosant sous forme de mousse, sous guidage ultrasonographique. L'objectif de ce traitement est de léser l'endothélium veineux afin d'obtenir la destruction de la paroi veineuse par un phénomène de fibrose. Dans cet article, nous abordons les indications et contre-indications de l'ESM. Nous décrivons également la technique, son efficacité ainsi que ses complications.

[Complications and management of percutaneous femoral arterial access]. / Les complications des accès artériels fémoraux percutanés et leurs prises en charge.

Vascular access complications following endovascular procedures remain an important cause of morbidity when using a femoral approach. In this review, we describe the risk factors, clinical presentation and management of hematoma, retroperitoneal bleeding, pseudoaneurysms, arteriovenous fistulae and arterial thrombosis.

Les complications des accès artériels fémoraux percutanés restent encore de nos jours une importante source de morbidité lors des procédures endovasculaires cardiologiques, artérielles périphériques ou toute autre intervention nécessitant un abord artériel fémoral. Dans cet article, nous décrirons les principales complications, leurs facteurs de risque ainsi que les options de prise en charge spécifique.

[The evolution of imaging techniques for the diagnosis of pulmonary]. / Evolution des techniques d'imagerie dans le diagnostic de l'embolie pulmonaire.

Modern diagnostic strategies for pulmonary embolism (PE) rely on the sequential use of clinical probability assessment, D-dimer and thoracic imaging when necessary. Computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) has become the imaging modality of choice. Diagnostic strategies using CTPA are very safe for the diagnosis of PE and have been well validated in large prospective management outcome studies. With the widespread use of CTPA, concerns regarding radiation and overdiagnosis of PE have paved the way for investigating new diagnostic modalities. V/Q SPECT has arisen as a highly accurate test and a potential alternative to CTPA. However, prospective management outcome studies are still lacking and are warranted before its implementation in routine clinical practice.

Les stratégies diagnostiques modernes de l'embolie pulmonaire se basent sur l'utilisation séquentielle de la probabilité clinique, des D-dimères et si nécessaire d'une imagerie thoracique. L'angioscanner représente actuellement la modalité d'imagerie de choix. Cependant, l'utilisation à large échelle de l'angio-scanner soulève des inquiétudes concernant l'irradiation et le surdiagnostic qui ont ouvert la voie de la recherche de nouvelles modalités d'imagerie. La tomoscintigraphie par émission monophotonique (TEMP) ou single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) de ventilation/perfusion (V/P) semble être un test aussi performant que l'angio-scanner, et pourrait représenter une alternative. Des études prospectives sont néanmoins nécessaires avant d'envisager son implémentation dans la pratique quotidienne.

Enhancing identification and treatment of patients with concomitant chronic venous insufficiency and diabetes mellitus. A modified Delphi study from the CODAC (ChrOnic venous disease and Diabetes Advisory Council) group.

BACKGROUND: Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) and diabetes mellitus (DM) pose significant burdens to patients and healthcare systems. While the two diseases share a number of commonalities in risk factors and pathophysiology, they are often assessed and managed separately. This can lead to a worsening of comorbidities and limitations in a patient's quality of life. This project aims to develop recommendations to enhance the identification and treatment of patients with concomitant CVI and DM. METHODS: Using a modified Delphi method, a panel of experts developed 38 Likert Scale and two multiple choice questions across six key themes. These were used to form an online survey which was disseminated through a convenience sampling approach to CVI and DM healthcare professionals across Europe, Central America, South America, and the Middle East. The threshold for consensus was set at ≥75%. RESULTS: A total of 238 responses were received. 27/38 statements attained >90% agreement, nine of 38 attained between 75-90%, and two failed to meet the threshold (<75%). The awareness around the impact of the two diseases was high, but a gap was highlighted in the identification of patients with concomitant CVI and DM. CONCLUSIONS: The high level of agreement shows that healthcare professionals are aware of the gaps in identification and treatment of patients with concomitant CVI and DM, and of the need to approach this as a combined therapy area. An algorithm is proposed to help the identification of at-risk patients and to provide recommendations on the management of patients with concomitant disease.

Management of high-risk pulmonary embolism in pregnancy.

Pregnancy-associated high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) is among the most frequent causes of maternal mortality in the Western world, by causing hemodynamic instability and circulatory failure through a large thrombotic pulmonary obstruction. The very challenging management of these dramatic situations comprises the need to quickly select a therapy of pulmonary reperfusion or hemodynamic replacement, while taking into account both maternal and fetal risks. In this review, we discuss the role of risk stratification in pregnancy-associated PE and the available evidence to support the use of thrombolysis, catheter-directed thrombectomy/thrombolysis, surgical embolectomy and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Despite the lack of comparative studies and solid evidence, most reported cases of high-risk pregnancy-associated PE have been treated with thrombolysis, with high maternal and fetal survivals, and thrombolysis is suggested by guidelines in life-threatening PE. For women in the peripartum and early post-partum period, non-fibrinolytic treatments may be preferred as a first-line treatment, if available, because of the particularly high bleeding risk. In all cases, pregnancy-associated high-risk PE requires a multidisciplinary approach involving PE response teams and obstetricians.

Delayed manifestation of COVID-19 presenting as lower extremity multilevel arterial thrombosis: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Venous thrombo-embolic events have been described in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), suggesting the presence of coagulopathy induced by the viral infection. To date, only rare cases of arterial thrombosis related to COVID-19 have been reported. CASE SUMMARY: A 54-year-old patient with an influenza-like illness 15 days earlier, which resolved, and no known cardiovascular risk factor presented with acute right lower limb ischaemia. A computed tomography angiogram of the abdominal aorta and lower extremities showed, in the absence of vascular disease, a subocclusive thrombosis of the right common iliac artery and an occlusion of the right internal iliac, profunda femoral, and popliteal arteries. On the left side, the computed tomography angiogram demonstrated a non-occlusive thrombosis of the common femoral artery. The patient underwent emergency surgical thrombectomy as well as endovascular revascularization on the right side followed by therapeutic anticoagulation, with normalization of the limb perfusion. A nasopharyngeal swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) by real-time reverse transcription-PCR (rRT-PCR) was negative three times. Haemostasis analysis showed a mild hyperfibrinogenaemia and a shortening of the activated partial thromboplastin time. An extensive screening for cardio-embolism was negative. As the thrombotic event was unexplained, antibody testing for SARS-CoV-2 was performed and the result was positive. DISCUSSION: Venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms have been observed in COVID-19. As in our case, the first reports on COVID-19-associated arterial thrombotic events have emerged. A better understanding of the coagulopathy in COVID-19 is essential to guide prevention and treatment of venous as well as arterial thrombo-embolic events.

Venous thromboembolism in COVID-19: systematic review of reported risks and current guidelines.

AIMS OF THE STUDY: Many centres have noticed a high number of venous thromboembolism (VTE) events among critically ill inpatients with COVID-19 pneumonia. The aims of this study were (1) to summarise the reported risk of VTE associated with COVID-19 infections and (2) to summarise guidance documents on thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19 patients, in a systematic review. METHODS: We systematically searched for peer-reviewed evidence on the risk of VTE in patients with COVID-19, in PubMed, Embase and Twitter, and for guidelines or guidance documents for thromboprophylaxis, from international or national societies relevant to the field of thrombosis and haemostasis, up to April 30 2020. RESULTS: We found 11 studies (1 clinical trial, 7 retrospective cohorts and 3 prospective cohorts), which included a range of 16 to 388 in patients with COVID-19 (total of 1369 inpatients). The diagnoses of COVID-19 and VTE were of high quality, but the follow-up was often unclear. Most studies reported universal in-hospital thromboprophylaxis. Among all inpatients and among intensive care unit (ICU) inpatients with COVID-19, reported risks of VTE were 4.4–8.2% (three studies) and 0–35.3% (six studies), respectively. Two studies at least partially screened for VTE in ICU inpatients with COVID-19, and found risks of 24.7–53.8%. We found 12 guidelines for thromboprophylaxis of COVID-19 patients. The majority suggested universal pharmacological thromboprophylaxis in all COVID-19 inpatients, but there was heterogeneity in the suggested intensity of thromboprophylaxis: seven advised considering intensified doses of heparin according to the clinical or biological severity of the disease, especially in the ICU setting. CONCLUSIONS: Venous thromboembolism very commonly complicates the clinical course of inpatients with COVID-19, despite thromboprophylaxis. The risk appears highest among critically ill inpatients. We found no estimates of risks among outpatients. Many questions remain unresolved, as delineated by the heterogeneity of national and international guidelines. This situation calls for fast randomised clinical trials, comparing different schemes of thromboprophylaxis in COVID-19 inpatients.

External validation of the simplified Geneva risk assessment model for hospital-associated venous thromboembolism in the Padua cohort.

BACKGROUND: The simplified Geneva risk assessment model (RAM) predicts the risk of hospitalization-related venous thromboembolism (VTE) in medical inpatients in its developmental cohort but has not been validated. OBJECTIVES: To externally validate the simplified Geneva RAM. PATIENTS/METHODS: For this secondary analysis of a prospective cohort set in Padua, we calculated the simplified Geneva RAM for all participants. They were followed up for 90 days for the occurrence of adjudicated VTE. Thirty- and 90-day risks of VTE were estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method, and categories of risks compared with a Cox regression model adjusted for the use of thromboprophylaxis. RESULTS: Among 1180 medical inpatients, the 90-day risk of symptomatic VTE was 3.1%. The simplified Geneva RAM classified 56.9% as high risk (≥3 points; 90-day risk of VTE of 5.2%) and 43.1% as low risk (<3 points; 90-day risk of VTE of 0.4%). Compared with low-risk participants, high-risk participants had an 18-fold greater risk of VTE than low-risk participants (hazard ratio [HR] 17.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] 4.3-74.7). A very high-risk category (≥7 points) identified 5.3% of participants with a 9.5% probability of VTE at 90 days. CONCLUSIONS: In this external validation study, we confirm the excellent discrimination and clinically adequate calibration of the simplified Geneva RAM as a stratification tool to guide the use of thromboprophylaxis.

Effect of anticoagulant treatment on pain in distal deep vein thrombosis: an ancillary analysis from the cactus trial.

Essentials Management of patients with calf deep vein thrombosis remains controversial. We conducted a post-hoc analysis of a placebo controlled LMWH randomized clinical trial. Pain was assessed using visual analogue scale at inclusion, one and six weeks. There was no difference in pain control between the two arms. SUMMARY: Background The optimal management of distal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is highly debated. The only available placebo-controlled trial suggested the absence of clear benefit of anticoagulation. Many physicians feel that, beyond preventing thromboembolic complications, anticoagulation with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) has the potential to improve pain control. Objectives To analyze whether LMWHs decrease pain in patients with distal deep vein thrombosis. Patients and methods Two-hundred and fifty-two patients included in a multicenter, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial of LMWH in patients with acute distal DVT and who were asked to rate their pain at inclusion and at each medical visit, using a visual analogue pain scale (VAS). Results One hundred and thirty patients were randomized in the therapeutic nadroparin arm and 122 patients were randomized in the placebo arm. Mean VAS values were 4.6 (standard deviation [SD] 2.5) at inclusion, 2.1 (SD 2.0) at 1 week and 0.4 (SD 1.2) at 6 weeks. We calculated the individual variation in VAS between inclusion and 1 week in patients in whom VAS was available at the two study time-points. There was no difference in the mean VAS reduction between patients treated with therapeutic nadroparin (n = 106) and with placebo (n = 109): -2.6 (SD 2.4) vs. -2.3 (SD 2.0) after 1 week and -4.4 (SD 2.8) vs. -4.0 (SD 2.4) after 6 weeks, respectively. The use of compression stockings was associated with a reduction in pain. Conclusion These data suggests that LMWH use does not improve pain control as compared with placebo in patients with acute distal DVT.

Could the YEARS algorithm be used to exclude pulmonary embolism during pregnancy? Data from the CT-PE-pregnancy study.

INTRODUCTION: The recently proposed YEARS algorithm was shown to safely exclude pulmonary embolism (PE) and reduce the use of computed tomography pulmonary angiography (CTPA) among pregnant women with suspected PE. Our aim was to externally validate this finding. METHODS: We performed a post hoc analysis of a prospective management outcome study for PE diagnosis in pregnant women. PE was diagnosed with an algorithm that combined the revised Geneva score, D-dimer testing, bilateral lower-limb compression ultrasonography, and CTPA. All women had a 3-month follow-up. All of the items necessary to use the YEARS algorithm were prospectively collected at the time of the study. RESULTS: Of the 395 women included in the original study, 371 were available for the present analysis. The PE prevalence was 6.5%. Ninety-one women had no YEARS items, and 280 had one or more items. When the YEARS items were combined with D-dimer levels (<1000 ng/mL in women with no items, and <500 ng/mL in women with one or more items), 77 women (21%) met the criteria for PE exclusion and would not have undergone CTPA as per the YEARS algorithm. None of these 77 women had PE diagnosed during the initial work-up or 3-month follow-up. Therefore, the failure rate of the YEARS algorithm in our pregnant women population was 0/77 (95% confidence interval 0.0-3.9). CONCLUSION: In our study, application of the YEARS algorithm would have resulted in safe exclusion of PE in one of five pregnant women without the need for radiation exposure, further supporting the use of the algorithm in this population.