Transition of Care for Pediatric and Adult Patients with Venous Thromboembolism in the American Thrombosis Hemostasis Network

Background

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide in adults and is increasingly seen in children. Optimal transition of care (TOC) from the inpatient to the outpatient setting may lead to improved outcomes for patients with VTE. Although several examples of TOC for patients with VTE exist, this project (ATHN 4: Transition of Care for Patients with VTE) is the first to create a uniform TOC model in the U.S that includes both pediatric and adult patients. The aim of this study was to improve the transition of care of adult and pediatric patients discharged on an anticoagulant after a first episode of VTE and evaluate patient/parent understanding and adherence to anticoagulation therapy-related instructions at seven and 30 days after hospital discharge.

Methods

Pediatric and adult hospitalized patients with a first episode of VTE requiring anticoagulation therapy were eligible to participate in ATHN 4, a multi-center quality improvement (QI) project conducted by the American Thrombosis and Hemostasis Network (ATHN). The project has two phases: a pre-intervention (PI) phase with no change in standard TOC practice, and a QI intervention phase consisting of enhanced education with standardized Comprehensive Discharge Instruction Modules (CDIM) for each anticoagulant. Demographics, disease, treatment characteristics, and outcomes were collected. Knowledge and feedback questionnaires were administered at 30 days post-discharge. Adult and pediatric data from the PI phase are presented.

Results

Complete data were submitted for 188 (91%) patients who were enrolled in the PI phase between May 2016 and March 2017 (Table 3). Results show that 73 (39%) were under 18 years of age, 90 (48%) were female, and 156 (83%) were non-Hispanic.

A significant difference (p<0.001) in the location of the first VTE was noted among the pediatric and adult patients (Table 4). Approximately 66% (n=48) of the pediatric patients had a DVT, compared to 30% (n=34) of the adult patients. There were more adults with PE as compared to pediatric patients(43% vs. 3%).

Adult and pediatric patients differ substantially (p <0.001) with respect to anticoagulant prescriptions. Pediatric patients were more likely to be prescribed Enoxaparin at discharge compared to adults (86% vs. 21%). Additionally, a significantly larger proportion of adult compared to pediatric patients was prescribed Warfarin (17% vs. 3%). Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) were mainly prescribed in the adult patients: Apixaban (24% vs. 0%) and Rivaroxaban (18% vs. 3%) compared to the pediatric patients. Based on the responses provided by the patients or guardians (for pediatric patients) during the Day 30 follow-up, there was almost an equal distribution among pediatric and adult patients who by clinical assessment were determined to have correctly taken the prescribed anticoagulant between the time of discharge and follow-up (98.6% of pediatrics and 97.4% of adults).

Conclusions

Our quality improvement study shows that the majority of pediatric and adult patients correctly took the anticoagulation medication prescribed to them at discharge for at least a month. Majority of pediatric patients presented with a DVT while PE was the most common presentation in adult patients. Enoxaparin and Apixaban were the most commonly prescribed anticoagulants to pediatric and adult patients, respectively. Factors affecting anticoagulation adherence and outcomes in these patients are currently being analyzed.

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