Clinical therapeutic conference: recurrent venous thrombotic and thromboembolic disease

Recurrent venous thrombotic and thromboembolic disease, once thought to be an uncommon entity, is increasingly being recognized. Etiologies of recurrent deep venous thrombosis usually include elements of Virchow's triad. Venous stasis (e.g., immobilization, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, obesity), hypercoagulability (e.g., malignancy, inflammatory bowel disease, hyperhomocysteinemia, protein C resistance, antithrombin III, protein C or S deficiency) and endothelial trauma (e.g., surgical trauma, venous trauma, in-dwelling venous instrumentation) are risk factors. Diagnosis is dependent on objective testing, including venography duplex Doppler (color) ultrasonography and impedance plethysmography. Treatment is usually started with heparin or low-molecular-weight heparin and advanced to warfarin (adjusted to international normalized ratio). Prophylaxis may continue using low-molecular-weight heparin, warfarin, venacaval interruption (Greenfield filter), or concomitant use of the platelet-active agent indobufen and graduated compression stockings.