“The Ottawa Hospital was one of the first sites in the world to treat cancer patients with lung blood clots as outpatients. Our research shows this strategy is safe for selected patients and we know that most patients prefer it,” said Dr. Delluc.Two new research studies show how The Ottawa Hospital continues to lead the way in determining which cancer patients with a blood clot in their lung can safely recover at home and avoid hospitalization.
People with cancer are four to seven times more likely than the general population to get these clots, known as a pulmonary embolism (PE). Most people with a PE who are started on blood thinners in the emergency department survive the clot. However, they may be at risk of a second clot or major bleed.
In the past, everyone with a PE was hospitalized for a day to a week to watch for these complications. Over time, clinicians realized those at lower risk of complications could avoid hospitalization and safely be seen as outpatients.
Today, around 40 per cent of all PE patients and 12 per cent of PE patients with cancer at The Ottawa Hospital are seen as outpatients, but there is significant variation in practice around the world.
A team led by Dr. Aurélien Delluc looked at the safety of managing selected PE patients with cancer as outpatients at The Ottawa Hospital. Their study found that between 2019 and 2023, only two of these 86 patients needed to come back to the emergency department for a complication within a week of PE treatment.
The team also led a systematic review and meta-analysis of 1,589 cancer patients with a PE treated as outpatients at several hospitals. This further confirmed the practice is safe.
“The Ottawa Hospital was one of the first sites in the world to treat cancer patients with lung blood clots as outpatients. Our research shows this strategy is safe for selected patients and we know that most patients prefer it,” said Dr. Delluc, thrombosis physician and associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa.
Research team members: Aurélien Delluc, Michelle Pradier, Deborah M. Siegal, Grégoire Le Gal, Marc Carrier, Tzu-Fei Wang
Funding: This study received no designated funding
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.
