Aspirin given for up to 2 years after initial anticoagulant treatment reduces the risk of venous thromboembolism recurrence without increasing risk of major bleeding
- Department of Haematology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill Health Campus, Aberdeen, UK
- Correspondence to
: Dr Henry G Watson
Department of Haematology, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, Foresterhill Health Campus, Aberdeen AB25 2ZN, UK; henrywatson{at}nhs.net
Implications for practice and research
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The use of aspirin to prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) after a first idiopathic event should not currently become a standard practice.
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Further studies are required before the use of aspirin following anticoagulation with warfarin for a first episode of venous thromboembolism becomes adopted as routine clinical practice.
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A direct comparison between low-dose aspirin and standard intensity warfarin is required.
Context
Venous thromboembolism, which encompasses deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a relatively common disorder with an incidence in western countries of around 1/1000 per annum.1 Events are categorised as either provoked, that is occurring in the context of a known temporary risk factor such as surgery, or unprovoked, that is occurring without an associated known risk factor. There is a general consensus that provoked events have a low …
