Dramatic increase in venous thromboembolism in children's hospitals in the United States from 2001 to 2007.

OBJECTIVES: The goals were to determine whether there has been an increase in the rate of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in pediatric tertiary care hospitals and to evaluate the use of anticoagulants in the treatment of hospitalized pediatric patients with VTE. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of patients RESULTS: During the 7-year study period, in which 11337 hospitalized patients were diagnosed with VTE, the annual rate of VTE increased by 70%, from 34 to 58 cases per 10000 hospital admissions (P CONCLUSION: This multicenter study demonstrates a dramatic increase in the diagnosis of VTE at children9s hospitals from 2001 to 2007.