Secondary prophylaxis is a less commonly used method that includes early detection with screening methods and the treatment of subclinical DVT.Ĭopyright © 2023, StatPearls Publishing LLC. Primary prophylaxis is preferred, using medications and mechanical methods to prevent DVT. Prevention of DVT in hospitalized patients decreases the risk of DVT and PE, decreasing mortality and morbidity.ĭVT prophylaxis can be primary or secondary. Only 50% of hospitalized patients receive DVT prophylaxis. PE is one of the most common but preventable causes of death in hospitalized patients. Hospitalized patients are at increased risk of developing DVT (approximately 50%), increasing the risk of PE. Hospitalized patients are at risk of venous stasis, and with the presence of other factors, they are at increased risk of DVT compared to patients in the community.ĭVT prophylaxis targets either venous stasis (mechanical methods) or hypercoagulability (pharmacological prophylaxis). Venous stasis is the most crucial factor, but endothelial injury or hypercoagulability increases the risk of DVT. Hypercoagulability (eg, OCP, cancer, and thrombophilia) Venous stasis (eg, immobility and congestive heart failure)Įndothelial injury (eg, surgery and trauma) One or more factors of the triad of Virchow can lead to the formation of DVT. Normally, a balance of procoagulant and anticoagulant factors in the blood prevents thrombus formation intravascularly. DVT and PE account for 60,000 to 100,000 deaths annually in the United States. DVT is a major preventable cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes DVT and PE. Prevention of DVT thereby decreases the incidence of PE, a serious and life-threatening condition.

This occurs in one-third of patients with DVT. The most likely source of thrombus in pulmonary arteries is an embolization from deep veins of the legs. Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an obstruction of the pulmonary artery or its branches by a thrombus (sometimes due to fat or air). DVT occurs mainly in the lower extremities and, to a lesser extent, in the upper extremities. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation or presence of a thrombus in the deep veins.

Scd dvt prophylaxis