Anticoagulants not necessary for many surgical patients
Editor's Note Three out of four surgery patients may be receiving anticoagulants they don’t need, the January 23 EurekAlert reports. Researchers reviewed 14,776 records from 13 studies to determine which surgical patients would and would not benefit from anticoagulants. High-risk patients who were given anticoagulants had a significantly decreased risk…
Joint Commission requesting VTE discharge instructions
Editor's Note The Joint Commission is asking hospitals to share their discharge instructions and educational materials for patients with venous thromboembolism (VTE) who are on anticoagulants. The Joint Commission’s Department of Health Services Research is soliciting this information as part of a research project. These materials may be used to develop…
AHRQ updates guidelines for preventing hospital-associated VTE
Editor's Note The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has updated its “Preventing hospital-associated venous thromboembolism [VTE]: A guide for effective quality improvement.” The guidelines were originally published in 2008. The update includes: new and improved metrics for tracking the adequacy of VTE prophylaxis good and bad aspects of…
Early prophylaxis lowers VTE risk after brain trauma
Editor's Note Starting blood thinners within 72 hours of hospital arrival significantly lowers the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in traumatic brain injury patients and does not increase risk of intracranial hemorrhage, this study finds. A total of 2,468 patients were divided into two groups: early prophylaxis (started within 72…
Penalties based on number of VTEs unfairly imposed
Editor's Note After a review of 128 case histories, Johns Hopkins researchers find that financial penalties imposed by federal and state agencies on Maryland hospitals based solely on the total number of patients who suffer venous thromboemboli (VTEs) fail to account for those that occur despite the consistent and proper…
Steps to preventing DVT for outpatients
It's a common scenario. A patient has a minor orthopedic procedure, such as a hammertoe repair, and receives a cast. The patient is immobilized at home and ends up with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a frequent complication of surgery that manifests as DVT or pulmonary embolism (PE),…
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