Current Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Practices Following Endovascular Electrophysiological Procedures in the UK: A retrospective study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) cases at the Leeds General Infirmary, Leeds, UK, as well as to survey current VTE practices and preventative strategies at other UK-based electrophysiology (EP) centres. Methods: This retrospective study involved all patients who underwent EP studies at Leeds General Infirmary from January 2014 to December 2016. In addition, a telephone survey was conducted of 35 other UK-based EP centres. Results: Of 1,020 patients who underwent EP studies at Leeds General Infirmary, 0.3% developed a post-procedural VTE. In addition, 28 other EP centres were surveyed (response rate: 80%), of which 18% reported VTE cases in the last two years. There were wide variations in VTE prevention strategies and the use of post-procedural thromboprophylaxis. Conclusion: Despite the low incidence of VTE cases, many UK centres continue to experience this complication with no consensus on optimal preventative strategies. As current VTE guidelines do not recommend antithrombotics after EP studies, further research is needed.

Keywords: Venous Thromboembolism; Cardiac Electrophysiological Techniques; Catheter Ablation; Heparin; Postoperative Complications; Risk Assessment; United Kingdom.