Long-term vs Short-term Therapy With Vitamin K Antagonists for Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism

CLINICAL QUESTION Is long-term (>= 3 months) vs short-term therapy with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) associated with differences in the incidence of recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), major bleeding, and mortality in patients with symptomatic VTE? BOTTOM LINE Long-term treatment with VKAs is associated with a reduced risk for recurrent VTE and an increased risk for major bleeding compared with short-term treatment in patients with VTE, but is not associated with differences in mortality.