Following on from Prof. Hardman’s presentation, the most effective way to prevent PTS is to prevent the initial incidence of a VTE event, which is largely a preventable disease that includes Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE). VTE is estimated to:
- account for 10% of all deaths in Australian hospitals
- costs the Australian health system $1.72 billion annually1
- be the third most common cardiovascular disease globally, with an annual incidence of over 10 million people2
VTE prevention strategies have been shown to reduce the incidence of VTE by about 70%. However, despite the availability of international evidence-based best-practice guidelines for the prevention of VTE, data suggests that a significant proportion of patients at risk of VTE do not receive appropriate therapy3.
For further guidance on how you can adequately prevent VTE events within your facility, please review the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Health Care Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Clinical Care Standard
References:
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The economic burden of incident venous thromboembolism in the United States: A review of estimated attributable healthcare costs. Grosse SD, Nelson RE, Nyarko KA, Richardson LC, Raskob GE. Thromb Res. 2016 Jan;137:3-10. Epub 2015 Nov 24.
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Prospective 12-year follow-up study of clinical and hemodynamic sequelae after deep vein thrombosis in low-risk patients (Zürich study).Franzeck UK, Schalch I, Jäger KA, Schneider E, Grimm J, Bollinger A Circulation. 1996;93(1):74.
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Cohen AT, Tapson VF, Bergmann J-F,Goldhaber SZ, Kakkar AK, Deslandes B, et al.Venous thromboembolism risk and prophylaxis in the acute hospital care setting (ENDORSE study): a multinational cross-sectional study. Lancet. 2008;371(9610):387–94.