Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism

This session of Grand Rounds explores Venous Thromboembolism (VTE), which consists of 2 related conditions caused by blood clots: Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE). Estimates of the number of people in the U.S. affected by a DVT/PE each year range from 350,000-900,000, with up to 100,000 dying as a result, and 20-50% of people who experience a DVT develop long-term complications.

Up to one-half of all VTEs occur during or soon after hospitalizations, and VTE is one of the most frequent serious adverse events in hospitals. Many VTEs can be prevented if hospitals educate providers and patients, systematically assess risks for clotting and bleeding, and prescribe risk-appropriate prevention strategies. VTE prevention is an important component of hospital patient safety improvement efforts that are being supported by a number of organizations and Federal agencies.

A comprehensive public health approach to VTE prevention includes activities to develop monitoring systems to evaluate and ensure widespread adoption of effective prevention strategies.