Venous thromboembolism prevention in the acutely ill medical patient: a review of the literature and focus on special patient populations.
Although venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major public health problem, until recently, our understanding of the risk of VTE in hospitalized acutely ill medical patients has been incomplete. Fortunately, over the past 5 years, there has been an increasing body of literature that highlights the risk of VTE in the nonsurgical patient, identifies unique patient-risk factors, and defines adequate preventative measures. This review highlights the current literature with regard to epidemiology of VTE in hospitalized medical patients and the risk-stratification of these patients and deals with optimal preventative regimens and prevention strategies in special patient groups.
Pendleton
Robert
R
Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA. robert.pendleton@hsc.utah.edu
Wheeler
Michelle
M
Rodgers
George
G
D016638:Critical Illness / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D013923:Thromboembolism / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control*