Home vs hospital treatment of low-risk venous thromboembolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Authors

Rasha Khatib, Advocate Aurora Health
Stephanie Ross
Sean Alexander Kennedy
Ivan D Florez
Thomas L Ortel
Robby Nieuwlaat
Ignacio Neumann
Daniel M Witt
Sam Schulman
Veena Manja
Rebecca Beyth
Nathan P ClarkFollow
Wojtek Wiercioch
Holger J Schünemann
Yuqing Zhang

Recommended Citation

Khatib R, Ross S, Kennedy SA, et al. Home vs hospital treatment of low-risk venous thromboembolism: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Blood Adv. 2020;4(3):500-513. doi:10.1182/bloodadvances.2019001223

Affiliations

Advocate Research Institute, Advocate Health Care

Abstract

Increasing evidence supports the safety and effectiveness of managing low-risk deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE) in outpatient settings. We performed a systematic review to assess safety and effectiveness of managing patients with DVT or PE at home compared with the hospital. Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases were searched up to July 2019 for relevant randomized clinical trials (RCTs), and prospective cohort studies. Two investigators independently screened titles and abstracts of identified citations and extracted data from relevant full-text papers. Risk ratios (RRs) were calculated, and certainty of evidence was assessed using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). Seven RCTs (1922 patients) were included in meta-analyses on managing patients with DVT. Pooled estimates indicated decreased risk of PE (RR = 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-0.93) and recurrent DVT (RR = 0.61; 95% CI, 0.42-0.90) for home management, both with moderate certainty of the evidence. Reductions in mortality and major bleeding were not significant, both with low certainty of the evidence. Two RCTs (445 patients) were included in meta-analyses on home management of low-risk patients with PE. Pooled estimates indicated no significant difference in all-cause mortality, recurrent PE, and major bleeding, all with low certainty of the evidence. Results of pooled estimates from 3 prospective cohort studies (234 patients) on home management of PE showed similar results. Our findings indicate that low-risk DVT patients had similar or lower risk of patient-important outcomes with home treatment compared with hospital treatment. In patients with low-risk PE, there was important uncertainty about a difference between home and hospital treatment.

Document Type

Article

PubMed ID

32040553