Society for Vascular Medicine
View all recommendations from this societyReleased February 21, 2013
Don’t do work up for clotting disorder (order hypercoagulable testing) for patients who develop first episode of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in the setting of a known cause.
Lab tests to look for a clotting disorder will not alter treatment of a venous blood clot, even if an abnormality is found. DVT is a very common disorder, and recent discoveries of clotting abnormalities have led to increased testing without proven benefit.
These items are provided solely for informational purposes and are not intended as a substitute for consultation with a medical professional. Patients with any specific questions about the items on this list or their individual situation should consult their physician.
How The List Was Created
The Society for Vascular Medicine (SVM) looked to the leadership of its Board of Trustees and input from its members to develop the list of five things physicians and patients should question. Suggestions from SVM members were solicited through an e-mail blast, and a second e-mail was sent to the SVM Board of Trustees seeking volunteers and suggestions.
A committee, consisting of four members of the Board of Trustees, narrowed an initial list down to seven recommendations. The full Board of Trustees voted on the recommendations using the Delphi method of choice, arriving at the five that became SVM’s list as part of the Choosing Wisely® campaign.
SVM’s disclosure and conflict of interest policy can be found at www.vascularmed.org.
Sources
Dalen JE. Should patients with venous thromboembolism be screened for thrombophilia? Am J Med [Internet]. 2008 Jun [cited 2012 Oct 18];121:6;458–463.
Baglin T, Luddington R, Brown K, Baglin C. Incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism in relation to clinical and thrombophilic risk factors: prospective cohort study. Lancet [Internet]. 2003 Aug 16 [cited 2012 Oct 18];362:523–526.
Ho WK, Hankey GJ, Quinlan DJ, Eikelboom JW. Risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism in patients with common thrombophilia. Arch Intern Med [Internet]. 2006 Apr 10 [cited 2012 Oct 18];166:729–736.
Baglin T, Gray E, Greaves M, Hunt BJ, Keelin D, Machin S, Mackie I, Makris M, Nokes T, Perry D, Tait RC, Walker I, Watson H. Clinical guidelines for testing for heritable thrombophilia; Br J Haematol [Internet]. 2010 Apr [cited 2012 Oct 18];149:209–220.
Stevens SM, Woller SC, Bauer KA, Kasthuri R, Cushman M, Streiff M, Lim W, Douketis JD. Guidance for the evaluation and treatment of hereditary and acquired thrombophilia. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2016 Jan [cited 2022 June 3];41(1):154-64. doi: 10.1007/s11239-015-1316-1. PMID: 26780744; PMCID: PMC4715840.
