Outpatient management of venous thromboembolism

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and potentially fatal disease. There is growing evidence that outpatient therapy with low molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is effective and safe for many patients with VTE.

Large, randomised, controlled trials have demonstrated that outpatient treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) with LMWH is as safe as the hospital-based treatment with intravenous unfractiona ted heparin. However, the role of outpatient therapy in patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) is unclear and has been a matter of debate in the literature.

Keywords

• venous tromboembolism
• deep vein thrombosis
• pulmonary embolism
• outpatient treatment
• low molecular-weight hepa