Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a condition in which a blood clot forms in the deep veins of the leg, arm, or groin, and travels in the circulation. It is known to increase the risk of mortality in certain patients, but its direct link to mortality is not clear. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of venous thromboembolism on mortality.
This is a systematic review and meta-analysis study of randomized trials analyzing VTE prevention. The researchers screened a total of 4,229 studies from datasets of MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, and Embase. Out of these studies, the researchers identified the ones in which patients were at a higher risk of VTE and were randomly assigned to either antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy versus no treatment or placebo. The primary outcome was the increased risk of fatal pulmonary embolism in VTE patients.
The researchers extracted data of over 70,000 patients and found that the increased risk of mortality in VTE prevention was null. Patients in the treatment groups had less fatal pulmonary embolism but more major bleeding.
The research suggested that venous thromboembolism prevention had a null effect on mortality. Therefore, it can be concluded that venous thromboembolism is not a common cause of mortality.
Ref: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhae/article/PIIS2352-3026(20)30211-8/fulltext
