Venous thromboembolism in China: epidemiology, management strategies, and future directions

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is one of the leading causes of unexpected death among hospitalized patients. It is also a preventable condition, and its incidence can be substantially reduced through active and effective prophylaxis. In recent years, the burden of VTE in China has continued to increase, driven by population aging, a rising prevalence of malignancy, a growing volume of complex surgery, and advances in imaging and laboratory testing. At present, the clinical management paradigm for VTE in China has gradually evolved from the traditional acute event-centered 'diagnosis-treatment' pathway to a hospital-based closed-loop management model. This model covers risk assessment, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, follow-up, and quality evaluation across the entire continuum of care. Based on the latest Chinese guidelines, expert consensus statements, and representative studies, this review summarizes the epidemiologic characteristics, prevention strategies, diagnostic pathways, treatment patterns, management of special populations, and future research directions of VTE in China. Overall, VTE management in China has begun to develop into an integrated framework. It starts with risk assessment in hospitalized patients, centers on standardized prophylaxis and risk-stratified diagnosis, extends to individualized anticoagulation strategies and management of special populations, and is supported by quality control and digital tools. Further efforts are still needed to improve precise risk stratification, specialty-specific clinical pathways, laboratory standardization, inpatient management, and long-term management. These advances will help move VTE management in China from standardization to precision and from in-hospital prevention to whole-course care.