The long term clinical course of acute deep vein thrombosis of the arm: prospective cohort study

Abstract

The diagnosis and treatment of deep vein thrombosis of the arm are documented extensively.1 2 The long term clinical course of the condition is, however, poorly defined. Fifty three consecutive patients with a first, symptomatic deep vein thrombosis of the arm, confirmed by ultrasonography or venography—including six cases related to catheter insertion—were treated with high dose heparin, followed by at least three months of warfarin (targeted international normalised ratio 2.0-3.0) (table). View this table: Characteristics of the study patients (n=53). Values are numbers (percentages) of patients unless otherwise indicated Follow up visits were scheduled after three and six months, and then every six months up to five years. At each visit, patients underwent a clinical evaluation, for which we used a standardised scale previously validated in patients with venous thrombosis in the leg,3 4 and an ultrasound assessment of the affected venous segments. Each of five symptoms (heaviness, pain, itching, physical …