Catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT) is being increasingly used for the treatment of proximal lower extremity (LE) deep venous thrombosis (DVT). However, sex differences in utilization and safety outcomes of CDT in these patients are unknown. The Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database was used to identify all patients with a principal discharge diagnosis of proximal LE or caval DVT who underwent CDT between January 2005 and December 2011 in the United States. We evaluated the comparative safety outcomes of CDT among a propensity-matched group of 1731 men versus 1731 women. Among 108,243 patients with proximal LE or caval DVT, 4826 patients (4.5%) underwent CDT. Overall, women underwent CDT less often compared to men (4.1% vs 4.9%, p<0.01, respectively). The rates of CDT increased between 2005 and 2011 for both women (2.1% to 5.9%, p<0.01) and men (2.5% to 7.5%, p<0.01). There was no significant difference in in-hospital mortality (1.2% vs 1.3%, p=0.76). Women were noted to have higher rates of blood transfusions (11.7% vs 8.8%, p<0.01), but lower rates of intracranial hemorrhage (0.5% vs 1.2%, p=0.03) and gastrointestinal bleeding (0.9% vs 2.2%, p<0.01) compared with men. Women were more likely to undergo inferior vena cava filter placement (37.0% vs 32.1%, p<0.01). In this large nationwide cohort, women with proximal DVT were less likely to receive CDT compared to men. Although mortality rates were similar, women were noted to have higher blood transfusion rates while men had more episodes of intracranial and gastrointestinal bleeding.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a common disorder affecting approximately 900,000 new patients in the United States each year. Although the mainstay of treatment of DVT patients is therapeutic anticoagulation, some patients remain significantly symptomatic and therefore require more advanced interventions such as catheter-directed thrombolysis (CDT). We describe a case series of 13 patients with acute symptomatic inferior vena cava (IVC) and iliofemoral DVT that were treated with CDT using the Bashir Endovascular Catheter (BEC). We report the first-in-human use of BEC, which is a novel pharmacomechanical thrombolysis device. All the treated patients had complete and rapid resolution of their symptoms with excellent venous outflow. Despite initial promising results, larger studies using this catheter design will be needed to assess the role of BEC-directed therapy on rates of post-thrombotic syndrome and bleeding complications.

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Glycoprotein (GP) VI and Fc receptor FcγRIIa are 2 ITAM (immunoreceptor tyrosine-activation motif)–bearing platelet surface receptors. In this issue of Blood, Gardiner and colleagues show that activation of either receptor results in simultaneous proteolytic cleavage of GPVI ectodomain and FcγRIIa cytoplasmic tail, providing distinct mechanisms for their down-regulation on platelet activation.