Albumin concentration is a candidate indicator for predicting the risk of calf venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing gynecological surgery.

OBJECTIVE To explore the ability of albumin concentration to predict calf venous thromboembolism (cVTE) in gynecological diseases. METHODS We analyzed data from 761 patients from the gynecology department. We screened the serum albumin concentration as an important indicator for predicting cVTE through logistic analysis. The data were divided into albumin <35 g/L and ≥35 g/L. Receiver operating characteristic analysis was used to compare the predictive ability of albumin, D-dimer, and a combination of these parameters as indicators for cVTE risk in different groups and subgroups. RESULTS In gynecological diseases, the albumin concentrations were lower in the surgery and malignancy group than in the chemotherapy and benign disease group. Albumin concentration had a predictive ability for cVTE risk. In ovarian cancer patients with albumin concentrations <35 g/L subgroup, albumin was better than D-dimer at predicting cVTE (area under the curve (AUC) 0.79, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.70-0.87, P < 0.001 versus AUC 0.65, 95% CI 0.54-0.77, P = 0.016). CONCLUSION The albumin concentration was an candidate indictor for predicting cVTE in surgical patients in the gynecology department, especially in ovarian cancer patients with albumin concentrations <35 g/L. A combination of the albumin and D-dimer parameters maybe improve the predictive ability for cVTE.