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Cover of Venous Thromboembolism

Venous Thromboembolism

Reducing the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism (Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism) in Patients Admitted to Hospital

NICE Clinical Guidelines, No. 92

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Excerpt

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a term used to include the formation of a blood clot (a thrombus) in a vein which may dislodge from its site of origin to travel in the blood, a phenomenon called embolism. A thrombus most commonly occurs in the deep veins of the legs; this is called deep vein thrombosis. A dislodged thrombus that travels to the lungs is known as a pulmonary embolism.

The risk of developing VTE depends on the condition and/or procedure for which the patient is admitted and on any predisposing risk factors (such as age, obesity and concomitant conditions). Both of these types of risk will be assessed within the guideline.

This guideline examines the risk of venous thromboembolism and assesses the evidence for the effectiveness of primary preventative measures. It provides recommendations on the most clinically and cost effective measures to reduce the risk of venous thromboembolism, whilst considering the potential risks of the various VTE prophylaxis options and patient preferences.

Contents

Copyright © 2010, National Clinical Guideline Centre - Acute and Chronic Conditions.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher or, in the case of reprographic reproduction, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency in the UK. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the terms stated here should be sent to the publisher at the UK address printed on this page.

The use of registered names, trademarks, etc. in this publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws and regulations and therefore for general use.

The rights of National Clinical Guideline Centre - Acute and Chronic Conditions to be identified as Author of this work have been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

Bookshelf ID: NBK116518PMID: 23346611

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