Venous Thromboembolism

People who are currently or recently hospitalized, recovering from surgery, or being treated for cancer are at increased risk of developing serious and potentially deadly blood clots in the form of venous thromboembolism (VTE). A blood clot that occurs as a result of hospitalization, surgery, or other healthcare treatment or procedure is called healthcare-associated venous thromboembolism (HA-VTE). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year VTE affects as many as 900,000 Americans resulting in about 100,000 premature deaths. The associated health care costs $10 billion or more each year in the United States alone.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), commonly known as blood clots, is an underdiagnosed and serious, but preventable medical condition.  Hospital associated VTE is one of the most common causes of preventable hospital death.  Pharmacologic and mechanical methods to prevent VTE are safe, cost-effective and supported by evidence-based research. However, there are large gaps present between evidence and implementation in many hospitalized medical and surgical patients. Listed below are some strategies to target prevention: