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Patients admitted to the hospital with acute medical conditions have excess risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE), and medical patients at moderate-to-high risk benefit from pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis (JW Gen Med Mar 1 2012). Some evidence suggests that VTE risk in medical patients extends beyond their hospital stay.
More than 8000 patients (age, ≥40) in 51 countries who were hospitalized with at least one medical condition that placed them at risk for VTE (see table) were randomized to receive extended-duration rivaroxaban (Xarelto; for 35 days) or short-duration enoxaparin (for 10 days) followed by placebo (for 15 days). Median hospital length of stay was 11 days in both groups.
At 10 days, no difference was found between rivaroxaban and…
