Updated clinical models for VTE prediction in hospitalized medical patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurring in hospitalized medical patients is associated with increased length of hospitalization, high rate of acute care hospital transfer, longer inpatient rehabilitation and multiplication of health-care costs. Identification of acutely ill hospitalized medical patients eligible for thromboprophylaxis is a sophisticated process. Global VTE risk stems from the combination of predictors related with the acute medical illness, comorbidities, associated treatments and patients' intrinsic risk factors. Emerging clinical risk factors related to underlying pathologies should be considered when VTE risk is assessed. The Padua Prediction Score (PPS), the International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE-RAM) and the Geneva Risk Score are three robust risk assessment models (RAM) which underwent extensive external validation in cohorts of acutely ill hospitalized medical patients. The development of the IMPROVE bleeding risk assessment model and the identification of D-Dimer increase as a biomarker-predictor of VTE are some steps forward for personalized thromboprophylaxis. The beneficial impact of the RAMs in VTE prevention is already seen by the decrease of in-hospital VTE rates when RAMs are incorporated in electronic alert systems.