Clinical Research Directory

Extended Prophylactic Anticoagulation Following Spinal Surgery for Metastatic Disease

People who have surgery on their spine to treat cancer that has spread (metastatic disease) have a high chance of developing dangerous blood clots in the legs or lungs. These blood clots are called deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). In a review of patients at UPMC who had this type of surgery, about 15 out of 100 developed a blood clot within 90 days of leaving the hospital. Right now, patients receive blood-thinning medicine only while they are in the hospital after surgery. Once they go home, the medicine is stopped. There are no guidelines telling doctors whether blood-thinning medicine should continue after patients go home from spine surgery for cancer. However, for other types of major cancer surgery, studies have shown that continuing blood-thinning medicine for about 4 weeks after surgery can help prevent blood clots. This study will test whether taking a blood-thinning medicine called apixaban (brand name Eliquis) by mouth for 30 days after leaving the hospital can help prevent blood clots in patients who have had spine surgery for cancer that has spread. The dose used in this study (2.5 mg twice a day) is the same dose approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for preventing blood clots after hip and knee replacement surgery. About 50 adults at UPMC will take part. Participants will take apixaban for 30 days starting the day after hospital discharge. The study team will call participants by phone three times - about 2 days, 31 days, and 91 days after discharge - to check on their health, ask about any bleeding or blood clot symptoms, and assess medication use. No extra clinic visits are required. Results will be compared to a group of 68 patients who had the same type of surgery in the past but did not take apixaban after leaving the hospital. The main goal is to find out if apixaban reduces the rate of blood clots within 90 days of hospital discharge. The study will also track bleeding events and other side effects to determine if this approach is safe. The study hypothesis is that extended blood-thinning medicine after surgery will reduce blood clots compared to the current approach of stopping this medicine at hospital discharge.

Decision Aid for Anticoagulation Duration After Unprovoked Venous Thromboembolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, is a common condition that is typically treated with blood thinners (anticoagulants). After completing at least 3 months of treatment for a first unprovoked or weakly provoked VTE, patients and clinicians must decide whether to stop anticoagulation or continue treatment for a longer period. Continuing anticoagulation reduces the risk of another blood clot but increases the risk of bleeding. Because both options involve important benefits and risks, this decision should reflect the patient's values and preferences. The DECIDE-VTE study will evaluate whether a patient decision aid can improve decision-making for patients facing this choice. The decision aid provides evidence-based information about the risks and benefits of continuing versus stopping anticoagulation and includes a values clarification exercise to help patients identify what matters most to them. This multicentre batched stepped-wedge cluster randomized trial will be conducted in 12 thrombosis clinics across Canada. Clinics will transition from usual care to implementation of the patient decision aid according to a randomized schedule. The primary outcome is decisional conflict immediately following the anticoagulation decision visit, measured using the Decisional Conflict Scale. Secondary outcomes include patient knowledge, treatment decisions, decisional regret, concordance with the chosen treatment strategy, recurrent venous thromboembolism, major bleeding, all-cause mortality, and implementation outcomes.

Cleaner Long-tErm Assessment Registry - Venous Insights and Efficacy With eXtended Tracking

The primary objective of this clinical investigation is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the Cleaner Vac® Thrombectomy System for the treatment of thrombus in patients with lower extremity proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT). This prospective, multi-center, open-label study will assess clinical outcomes, device performance, and procedural success in a single DVT study cohort.

Effectiveness and Cost-effectiveness of VTE Prevention Strategies in Gynecological Surgery

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a highly preventable but potentially fatal complication following gynecological surgery. The Caprini risk assessment model is widely used, but real-world evidence evaluating the net clinical benefit and cost-effectiveness of different prophylaxis strategies (mechanical vs. pharmacological) in gynecological patients with Caprini score $\\ge$ 2 is still lacking. This study aims to evaluate the relative effectiveness of basic, mechanical, and pharmacological VTE prophylaxis strategies using a retrospective 1:3 matched nested case-control design. Furthermore, a decision tree model will be constructed to evaluate the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of these strategies to provide health economic evidence for optimizing VTE management pathways in gynecology

Study of Risk Factors and Prediction of Blood Clots After Lung Cancer Surgery

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the risk factors and prediction of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing lung cancer surgery. The main question it aims to answer is: Which clinical, surgical, and laboratory factors are associated with the development of postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in lung cancer surgery patients, and can machine learning models accurately predict individual risk? Participants undergoing lung cancer surgery will be prospectively followed for 30 days after surgery. Perioperative clinical data, laboratory results, and imaging findings will be collected to identify VTE risk factors and to develop a predictive model.

Progressive Gait Training After First-time Deep Venous Thrombosis: Clinical Effectiveness and Involved Mecanisms (The DVT-Cph RCT)

The DVT-Cph RCT aims to investigate: 1. if progressive gait training in combination with standard care is superior to standard care on quality of life in patients with first time lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (clinical effectiveness part). 2. the association between progressive gait training and disease progression, late complications such as post throbotic syndrome, and severity of venous thromboembolism conditions in patients with first time lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (mechanistic part).

VTEval Project - Prospective Cohort Studies to Evaluate and Improve Diagnostics, Management Strategies and Risk Stratification in VTE

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) with its two clinical manifestations deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) is a life-threatening disease that is associated with considerable morbidity and mortality. The incidence of VTE increases with age and it - as the third most common cardiovascular disease after ischemic heart disease and stroke - represents an important public health problem in industrialized countries with several aspects in need to be addressed. VTEval Project includes three long-term prospective observational studies to evaluate and improve VTE diagnostics and management, treatment and outcome. The aims of the project include a systematic assessment of VTE, i.e. disease status (symptoms, clinical and subclinical aspects) and risk profiles (classic, psychosocial and environmental factors), using a system-oriented approach. VTEval collects three large prospective cohorts of patients with suspected and incident VTE consisting of individuals with a clinical suspicion of acute PE, individuals with a clinical suspicion of acute DVT, and individuals with incidental diagnosis of VTE). The standardized and harmonized data acquisition of the study establishes a sustainable resource for comprehensive research on VTE, thus providing the basis for both short- and long-term analysis.

Lovenox 30 mg Twice Daily (BID) Versus 40 mg Once Daily (QD)

The risk of developing a blood clot occurs in up to 60% of all critical care patients. Many times enoxaparin (or Lovenox) is given to patients who are at a higher risk of developing clots in their legs or lungs. There are two standard doses of enoxaparin that are recommended by the drug companies. These two doses have never been directly compared in trauma, general, and vascular surgery patients. The purposes of this study are: 1. to compare the development of blood clots in patients receiving 30mg twice daily of enoxaparin compared to patients receiving 40mg once daily of enoxaparin. 2. to determine if there is higher risk of bleeding complications in patients receiving 30mg twice daily of enoxaparin compared to patients receiving 40mg once daily. Patients enrolled into the study will be randomized to receive enoxaparin, 30mg twice daily or enoxaparin, 40mg once daily. Patients will then be monitored for signs and symptoms of blood clots. At the time of discharge (or before, if medically indicated), an ultrasound test will be performed to look for blood clots in the patient's legs. The investigators will compare incidence of blood clots formed between the 2 groups of patients to determine if one dose of enoxaparin relates to a lower rate of blood clots in critically ill patients. The investigators will also compare the incidence of bleeding complications between the 2 groups.