Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in sickle cell disease: a multicenter cohort study of adolescent inpatients

Abstract

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are predisposed to a hypercoagulable state. Despite the increased risk of venous thromboembolism in the SCD population, there is limited evidence available to guide thromboprophylaxis (TP) practices in these patients. This study aimed to assess the use of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic TP in adolescent patients with SCD using the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS). We hypothesized that TP was increasingly used in hospitalized adolescent patients with SCD. The study included patients with SCD aged 13 to 21 years, admitted to a PHIS hospital between 1 January, 2010, and 30 June, 2021. A total of 7202 unique patients consisting of 34 094 unique admissions were included for analyses. Pharmacologic or mechanical TP was used in 2600 (7.6%) admissions, with 3.6% of admissions (n = 1225) receiving pharmacologic prophylaxis and 4.3% (n = 1474) receiving mechanical prophylaxis. Pharmacologic TP increased in use from 1.3% of admissions in 2010 to 14.4% in the first half of 2021. Enoxaparin was the most commonly prescribed anticoagulant, used in 87% of admissions in which pharmacologic TP was used. The use of prophylactic direct oral anticoagulants was first documented in 2018 and increased to 25% of admissions with pharmacologic TP by 2021. This study demonstrates a steady increase in TP use in adolescent patients with SCD admitted to the hospital. Prospective cohort studies are needed to determine VTE risk factors in adolescents and children with SCD and the efficacy and safety of prophylactic regimens.