The Post–Venous Thromboembolism Functional Status Scale: From Call to Action to Application in Research, Extension to COVID-19 Patients, and Its Use in Clinical Practice

Abstract

A broad spectrum of long-term sequelae may be present in venous thromboembolism (VTE) survivors, affecting their quality of life and functioning. To monitor recovery and improve the prognosis of patients with persistent functional limitations, the development of a new outcome measure that could better capture the consequences of VTE was an unmet need. Starting as a call to action, the Post-VTE Functional Status (PVFS) scale was developed to meet this need. The PVFS scale is an easy-to-use clinical tool to measure and quantify functional outcomes after VTE by focusing on key aspects of daily life. As the scale was considered useful in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients as well, the Post-COVID-19 Functional Status (PCFS) scale was introduced early in the pandemic after slight adaptation. The scale has been well incorporated into both the VTE and COVID-19 research communities, contributing to the shift of focus toward patient-relevant functional outcomes. Psychometric properties have been evaluated, mainly for the PCFS scale but recently also for the PVFS scale, including validation studies of translations, showing adequate validity and reliability. In addition to serving as outcome measure in studies, guidelines and position papers recommend using the PVFS and PCFS scale in clinical practice. As broad use of the PVFS and PCFS scale in clinical practice is valuable to capture what matters most to patients, widespread implementation is a crucial next step. In this review, we discuss the development of the PVFS scale and introduction in VTE and COVID-19 care, the incorporation of the scale in research, and its application in clinical practice.

Epidemiology and Predisposing Factors of Post-COVID Venous Thrombosis: A Concise Review

“…To this end, a COVID-19-specific post-VTE functional status scale has recently been developed for defining the functional outcome of COVID-19 patients who have suffered from VTE, focusing on a number of important aspects of daily life, such as tasks or activities at home or work, persistent symptoms, pain, and anxiety levels. 19 In terms of key predictors, a number of potential factors can be inferred from recent clinical studies, including older age, male sex, hospitalization (both in terms of duration and intensity of treatment), lack of thromboprophylaxis upon discharge along with the presence of prothrombotic conditions (particularly cardiovascular disorders and thrombophilia) (►Table 1). Patients who have these factors should be monitored more closely to intercept any thrombosis that may occur in a post-COVID time-related manner but may also benefit from extended thromboprophylaxis (as recently proposed 20 ) and/or antiplatelet therapy, the duration of which should be carefully calibrated on the basis of evidence-based data, as yet to be obtained in future randomized clinical trials.…”

2022 Eberhard F. Mammen Award Announcements: Part II—Young Investigator Awards

“…The most recent arising publications are also listed in the reference list for the benefit of the readership. 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 I have mentioned several times my personal gratification that most of the papers from earlier years have subsequently appeared in several annual top 100 listings. Of further interest, some of these papers or the young investigators themselves have subsequently won one of the Most Popular awards (see Table 1 for a list of prior editorials on these awards).…”