On Location ASH Annual Meeting
risk, and a conditional recommendation
for LMWH thromboprophylaxis in those
at high risk,” Dr. Lyman said, “with a
caveat that patients should have no major
bleeding risk or other contraindication to
anticoagulation.”
The Future of VTE Guidelines
As new information and evidence is
released, ASH and McMaster’s prima-
ry goal will be to make sure that these
guidelines stay relevant to clinical
practice. That starts with ensuring that
clinicians are aware of them because,
as Dr. Cuker noted, “a guideline, no
matter how good the recommenda-
tion, is completely useless if it does not
affect practice.”
All stakeholders share the contin-
ued goal of creating guidelines that
“meet the highest standards for rigor
and credibility, that would be useful
for and used by clinicians and – most
importantly – that would improve
the quality of care received by our
patients,” Dr. Schünemann added.
Publication of the
following 10 guidelines
is anticipated in 2018:
Prevention Of VTE In Surgical Patients
PANEL CHAIR: David Anderson, MD
Prevention of VTE in Nonsurgical
Patients
PANEL CHAIR: Mary Cushman, MD
Diagnosis of VTE
PANEL CHAIR: Wendy Lim, MD, MSc
Thrombophilia
PANEL CHAIR: Saskia Middeldorp, MD, PhD
Treatment of VTE (deep vein
thrombosis and pulmonary
embolism)
PANEL CHAIR: Thomas L. Ortel, MD, PhD
Optimal Management of
Anticoagulation Therapy
PANEL CHAIR: Daniel M. Witt, PharmD
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
PANEL CHAIR: Adam Cuker, MD, MS
Prevention and Treatment of VTE
in Patients with Cancer
PANEL CHAIR: Gary H. Lyman, MD, MPH
VTE in the Context of Pregnancy
PANEL CHAIR: Shannon Marie Bates, MD
VTE in Pediatric Populations
PANEL CHAIR: Sarah O’Brien, MD, MSc
44
ASH Clinical News
Shining a Spotlight on International
Hematology Research and Initiatives
The 2017 ASH Annual Meeting marked
the debut of the “Global Capacity-Building
Showcase,” a new poster category for re-
search and capacity-building initiatives in
low- and middle-income countries. Nearly
30 projects ran the gamut from recruiting
and training a hematology workforce to
establishing new clinics and improving ac-
cess to treatments that are widely available
in developed countries.
Twelve posters were featured during the
Global Capacity-Building Showcase and
were published in a special annual meeting
print edition of Blood Advances. Below is a
selection of the projects presented.
Preventing Stroke in Children With
Sickle Cell Anemia in Nigeria
Stroke is a devastating, preventable compli-
cation of sickle cell anemia (SCA), but pri-
mary stroke-prevention teams for children
with SCA in Africa are lacking. To help miti-
gate this risk – while working within resource