Venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk for acutely ill medical patients is highest in the first 30 days, starting with hospital admission.

VTE is a blood clot that starts in the vein. There are two classifications. 1. DVT – Deep Vein Thrombosis and 2. PE – Pulmonary embolism. VTE is known as a silent killer because the first visible symptom is often sudden death. They occur via heart attack, stroke, and pulmonary embolism.

The shared risk factors include:

Immobility

Hypercoagulability

Inflammation

These can present during:

Heart failure

Infections

Respiratory Failure

Inflammatory disorders

Ischemic Strokes

Non-Surgical Patients

Rheumatological disorders

Cancer

This is a highly deadly yet still preventable medical issue. Those ages 75 and up are at the highest risk though it can also occur in younger patients based on past health history.

VTE is the 3rd leading cause of vascular death worldwide as of 2018. This closely follows heart attack as #1 and stroke as #2. Over 8 million people are hospitalized yearly with some form of acute illness which places them at risk for VTE. The greatest risk is within 30 days of admission to the hospital and that period can extend over into the start of the release period as well.

Of those patients who experience a VTE event after release 50 % occur within 30 days from admission to discharge.

The challenge is how to help prevent this for patients leaving the hospital setting. Events in acutely ill medical patients could be prevented with an agent for extended duration prophylaxis that effectively reduces VTEs and does not increase a major risk for bleeding.

If you or a loved one has been hospitalized for an acute illness and they could be at risk for a VTE talk with the specialists at Tampa Cardiovascular Associates today at 813-975-2800 or visit www.tampacario.com to get to know our team of doctors.