Perspective cohort of patients managed for a venous thromboembolic event (multi-center international study)

The Computerized Registry of Patients with Venous Thromboembolism (RIETE) is a multidisciplinary project launched in March 2001 that aims to establish a comprehensive registry of consecutive patients with venous thromboembolism

Objectives
The main objective is to provide information online to help physicians improve their understanding of the natural history of thromboembolic disease, particularly in those patient subgroups that are typically not included in randomized clinical trials (pregnant women, elderly patients, patients with metastatic cancer, severe renal insufficiency, patients with contraindications to anticoagulation therapy, patients with extreme body weight, etc.), with the aim of reducing mortality, the frequency of thromboembolic recurrences, as well as bleeding complications and arterial events.
Another objective of RIETE is to develop predictive scores that help physicians better identify patients at high risk of developing some of these complications.
Patient eligibility criteria
Participating hospitals enroll all patients who meet predefined eligibility criteria. Patients are included if they have acute deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), and/or superficial vein thrombosis (SVT), confirmed by objective tests (i.e., contrast venography, ultrasonography, impedance plethysmography, or magnetic resonance imaging for suspected DVT; pulmonary angiography, lung scintigraphy, or helical computed tomography scan, for suspected PE; ultrasonography for suspected SVT). Patients are excluded if they are currently participating in a therapeutic clinical trial or if they will not be available for a 3-month follow-up.

Study parameters and endpoints
The primary data recorded by the registry include details of each patient's clinical status, including any coexisting or underlying conditions, as well as the type, dose, duration, and outcome (during the first 3 months of therapy) of antithrombotic treatment. Study endpoints include clinically recognized (and objectively confirmed) recurrences of VTE, major and minor bleeding complications, and death.

Use of the RIETE study database
Although not intended to influence the routine management of patients participating in the registry, data compiled from RIETE are available on the registry’s website (www.riete.org) for use by participating physicians and others in the field. An underlying or coexisting medical condition is selected from a drop-down list, and data from the RIETE database are displayed, showing treatments, doses, and outcomes for patients with similar clinical profiles. The user can thus compare different therapies and decide which is the most appropriate for their patient, based on previous "real-world" outcomes.