Objective: To test the validity of Caprini risk assessment model in identifying high venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk patients among hospitalized medical patients.
Methods: A retrospective case-control study was performed among hospitalized medical patients admitted into West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 2010 and December 2011. A total of 218 patients with definite VTE during hospitalization were recruited. And 394 controls were randomly selected from the patients without VTE admitted into the same departments within the same period. The risks of both cases and controls were retrospectively assessed with the Caprini risk assessment model.
Results: The average Caprini cumulative risk score in cases was significant higher than that in controls (4.9 ± 2.6 vs 3.2 ± 2.0, P = 0.000). There was no significant difference in the risk of VTE between the patients at a low risk by Caprini model and those at a moderate risk (OR = 1.26, 95%CI: 0.62-2.56). Compared with a low risk, those with a high risk were associated with 2.00-fold increased risk of VTE (95%CI: 1.10-3.61), a highest risk was associated with 5.76-fold increased risk of VTE (95%CI: 3.24-10.24) (both P < 0.05) . When further stratifying the highest risk level with cumulative risk score ≥ 5 into 5-6, 7-8, and ≥ 9 risk level, the patients with score 5-6 were associated with 4.15-fold increased risk of VTE (95%CI: 2.28-7.56), those with score 7-8 11.13-fold increased risk of VTE (95%CI: 4.88-25.36) and those with score ≥ 9 21.00-fold increased risk of VTE (95%CI: 6.34-69.52) compared with low risk counterparts.
Conclusion: Caprini risk assessment model can effectively and quantitatively assess the risk of VTE among hospitalized medical patients based on their individual VTE risk factors.