Loading...
Most guidelines do not recommend anticoagulation for treating patients with uncomplicated superficial venous thrombosis. In this international manufacturer-funded double-blind trial, 3002 patients with superficial venous thrombosis were randomized to daily fondaparinux (Arixtra, a factor Xa inhibitor; 2.5 mg) or placebo for 45 days. Exclusion criteria included location of thrombosis within 3 cm of the saphenofemoral junction or history of cancer or thrombosis.
During 77 days of follow-up, 4 fondaparinux recipients (0.3%) and 19 placebo recipients (1.3%) developed deep venous thrombosis (DVT); no fondaparinux recipients and 6 placebo patients (0.4%) developed pulmonary embolisms (PEs). The incidence of death was 0.1% in each group, and one pa…