Thromb Haemost 2005; 94(04): 750-759
DOI: 10.1160/TH05-06-0385
Review Article
Schattauer GmbH

Assessment of venous thromboembolism risk and the benefits of thromboprophylaxis in medical patients

Alexander T. Cohen
1   Guy’s, King’s and St Thomas’ School of Medicine, London, UK
,
Raza Alikhan
2   John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK
,
Juan I. Arcelus
3   University of Granada Medical School and Hospital San Juan de Dios, Granada, Spain
,
Jean-François Bergmann
4   Hôpital Lariboisière, Paris, France
,
Sylvia Haas
5   Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
,
Geno J. Merli
6   Jefferson Medical College and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, PA, USA
,
Alex C. Spyropoulos
7   Lovelace Medical Center, Albuquerque, NM, USA
,
Victor F. Tapson
8   Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
,
Alexander G. G. Turpie
9   Hamilton Health Sciences General Hospital, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
› Author Affiliations
Financial support: This initiative was funded by a grant from Aventis Pharmaceuticals, a member of The sanofi-aventis Group.
Further Information

Publication History

Received01 June 2005

Accepted after revision29 July 2005

Publication Date:
07 December 2017 (online)

Summary

Hospitalized patients with acute medical conditions are at significant risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE): approximately 10–30% of general medical patients may develop deep-vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, and the latter is a leading contributor to deaths in hospital. Despite consensus-group recommendations that at-risk medical patients should receive thromboprophylaxis, there is currently no consensus as to which patients are at risk, and many patients may not receive appropriate thromboprophylaxis. This paper reviews evidence for the risk of VTE associated with different medical conditions and risk factors, and presents a risk-assessment model for risk stratification in medical patients. Medical conditions associated with a moderate to high risk of VTE include cardiac disease, cancer, respiratory disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and infectious diseases. Importantly, analyses of data from the MEDENOX study show that thromboprophylaxis significantly reduces the risk o f VTE in these patient subgroups. Risk factors in medical patients include a history of VTE, history of malignancy, increasing age, thrombophilia, prolonged immobility, and obesity. These medical conditions and risk factors are included in a risk-assessment model which is hoped will provide a simple means of assisting clinicians in deciding whether thromboprophylaxis should be used in an individual patient.

 
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