Venous Thromboembolic Disease in a Regional Hospital in Mali

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a nosological group which mainly includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), it is frequently associated with high morbidity and mortality. We initiated this study with the aim of studying VTE in a cardiological hospital environment in a regional hospital in Mali. Methodology: This was a descriptive study with prospective recruitment over 1 year from June 20, 2019 to June 20, 2020, covering patients hospitalized and followed in consultation in the cardiology department of the Ségou regional hospital in Mali. Results: We collected 31 cases of VTE out of 366 patients, representing a frequency of 8.47%. The sex ratio was 0.88. VTE risk factors were dominated by immobilization (29.03%), pregnancy and postpartum (16.12%), heart failure (16.12%). The reason for consultation was dyspnea (93.54%) followed by chest pain (83.87%). On admission the clinical manifestations were tachycardia (74.19%), tachypnea (90.32%), muffled heart sounds (70.96%), global heart failure syndrome (51.6%). According to VTE probability scores; 51.61% of patients had an intermediate clinical probability according to the simplified Wells score for PE and 54.84% had an intermediate clinical probability for the simplified Geneva score for DVT. D-Dimers were only performed in 12 patients (38.70%) and were elevated in all. A chest CT angiogram showed PE in 90% of patients (n = 28/31). Venous Doppler ultrasound of the lower limbs showed venous thrombosis in 3 patients. Conclusion: Venous thromboembolism, although underdiagnosed, is common in our health structures. Prevention, particularly heparinoprophylaxis and early recovery in a hospital environment, remains the effective means of combating this condition.