• Christopher Kabrhel, Rachel Rosovsky, Christopher Baugh, Jean Connors, Benjamin White, Nicholas Giordano, Jasmine Torrey, Erin Deadmon, Blair Alden Parry, Sean Hagan, and Hui Zheng.
• Center for Vascular Emergencies, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
• Acad Emerg Med. 2019 Jun 1; 26 (6): 657-669.

ObjectiveThe objective was to determine whether a protocol combining risk stratification, treatment with the direct-acting oral anticoagulant rivaroxaban, and defined follow-up is associated with a greater proportion of patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) treated as outpatients, without hospital admission.MethodsWe performed a multicenter study of patients diagnosed with VTE (pulmonary embolism [PE] or deep vein thrombosis [DVT]) in two urban EDs, 18 months before and 18 months after implementation of an outpatient VTE treatment protocol. Patients with radiographically confirmed acute VTE were eligible. Our primary outcome was the proportion of VTE patients discharged from the ED or observation unit (i.e., without hospital admission). We performed subgroup analyses according to hospital, DVT and PE, and low-risk PE. We also assessed 7- and 30-day mortality, major bleeding, and returns to the ED. We compared proportions using chi-square and Fisher's exact tests.ResultsWe enrolled 2,212 patients, 1,081 (49%) before protocol and 1,131 (51%) after protocol. Mean age (59 years vs. 60 years), female sex (49% vs. 49%), other demographics, comorbid illness, and PE risk stratification were similar before and after. After protocol, more VTE (35% from 26%, p < 0.001), PE (18% from 12%, p = 0.002), low-risk PE (28% from 18%, p < 0.001), and DVT (60% from 49%, p = 0.002) patients were treated as outpatients. Mortality, bleeding, and returns to ED were rare and did not increase after protocol.ConclusionsA treatment protocol combining risk-stratification, rivaroxaban treatment and defined follow-up is associated with an increase in PE and DVT patients treated as outpatients, with no increase in adverse outcomes.© 2018 by the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine.

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