Research Article: Risk factors and intervention strategies for lower extremity deep vein thrombosis after intravenous thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke
Abstract:
This study examined the association between absence of early pharmacological thromboprophylaxis and in-hospital DVT after IVT for AIS, and further explored the clinical characteristics associated with failure to initiate timely prophylaxis.
We conducted a single-center retrospective cohort study of 197 patients with AIS treated with IVT between January 2021 and April 2024. Early pharmacological thromboprophylaxis was defined as anticoagulant prophylaxis initiated within 24–48?h after IVT after repeat neuroimaging excluded intracranial hemorrhage. The primary outcome was in-hospital lower extremity DVT confirmed by venous ultrasonography. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with non-initiation of early prophylaxis and to examine the association between absence of early prophylaxis and DVT.
Among 197 patients, 118 (59.9%) received early prophylaxis and 79 (40.1%) did not. Overall, 32 patients (16.2%) developed in-hospital DVT. DVT occurred more frequently in patients without early prophylaxis than in those receiving early prophylaxis (30.4% vs. 6.8%, P <?0.001). After adjustment, absence of early prophylaxis was associated with higher odds of DVT (adjusted OR 3.16, 95% CI 1.19–8.42, P =?0.021). Other factors retained in the adjusted model included atrial fibrillation, higher NIHSS score, prolonged bed rest, and elevated D-dimer. Patients with atrial fibrillation, greater stroke severity, and higher D-dimer levels were also less likely to receive early prophylaxis.
Among patients with AIS treated with IVT, absence of early pharmacological thromboprophylaxis was associated with higher odds of in-hospital DVT. Notably, a risk-treatment paradox was observed: patients with higher baseline thrombotic risk (e.g., severe stroke, atrial fibrillation, elevated D-dimer) were less likely to receive early prophylaxis, presumably due to concerns about post-thrombolysis hemorrhagic transformation. These findings suggest a clinically relevant prevention gap, although the observed association should be interpreted cautiously given the retrospective design and non-randomized treatment allocation.
Introduction:
Acute ischemic stroke (ACI) remains a leading cause of mortality and long-term disability worldwide, imposing a substantial global disease burden. Data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study indicate that cerebral infarction is among the foremost contributors to years of healthy life lost globally ( 1 ). The situation is particularly severe in China, where epidemiological studies have shown that the mortality rate of cerebral infarction is approximately four times higher than that reported in Western…
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