How VTE Screening Can Be Improved

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is in an interesting state of change.

As covered here previously, current research is being challenged by leading organizations to apply more real-world data and truer patient outcomes to interpret next steps in clinical development. It’s been a decade-plus since real efforts have moved the needle on reduced VTE prevalence and burden, experts said.

But what may be necessary to drive it forward it is the advancement of screening—which is much closer to the precipice of real-world use.

In an interview with HCPLive®, Maja Zaric, MD, interventional cardiologist and assistant professor at Zucker Medical School, discussed how proven tests including d-dimer diagnostics are underused by appropriate physicians.

She also discussed the upcoming blood sample-based tests, which should be more widely available before any new VTE preventive or symptom-treating therapies will be. Currently understood markers of disease do not help differentiate the specifics of VTE disease in individual patients—so improved care waits for improved diagnostics.

“The whole trend is actually going toward this individualized medicine,” Zaric explained. “I think one of the reasons the whole research intent has yielded as much as we hope so far is because it is so multifactorial. You truly have to take into specifics of genetic, environmental, or missing thrombophilia.”