Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the adequacy to thromboembolic disease prophylaxis protocol in patients with heart disease. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Patients older than 14 years affected of heart disease in a semi-urban health primary-care clinic with a population of 10,610 persons and 5582 clinical records. METHODS: Data about age, sex, cardiovascular risk factors, heart disease, prophylactic treatment and its adequacy to the protocol of the "thromboembolic disease commission" of the reference hospital were analysed. RESULTS: Age 67 +/- 13 years (mean +/- SD). Cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension 40%, diabetes 33%, dyslipemia 15%, smoking 21%. Heart disease: ischemic cardiopathy 48%, atrial fibrillation 15%, valvulopathy 19%, dilated myocardiopathy 4% and other 14%. In 20% of cases had two different affections (80% with atrial fibrillation). Prophylactic therapy: 52% of patients were under prophylactic treatment (35% antiaggregation, 18% anticoagulation). Among antiaggregants, drugs used were acetylsalicylic acid 73.5%, triflusal 14.7%, dipyridamole, 8.8% and ticlopidine 3%. In 53% of people without prophylactic treatment antiaggregation criteria were present. 15% of patient under antiaggregation therapy did not meet antiaggregation criteria, and 6% fulfilled anticoagulation criteria. 67% treatments accorded the reference protocol, without significant differences between kind of heart disease or sex. The only statistically significant difference was found in age: 46% of patients older than 80 year were correctly treated, in front 75% adequacy in younger people. CONCLUSION: Prophylactic antithrombotic therapy was according the reference protocol in 67% of cases. In older patients, with greater risk of thromboembolic disease, the adequacy is worse.