A Comparison of Six Weeks with Six Months of Oral Anticoagulant Therapy after a First Episode of Venous Thromboembolism

Abstract

Six months of prophylactic oral anticoagulation after a first episode of venous thromboembolism led to a lower recurrence rate than did treatment lasting for six weeks. The difference between the two groups occurred between 6 weeks and 6 months after the start of treatment, and the rates of recurrence remained nearly parallel for 1 1/2 years thereafter.