Blood clot (DVT) risk treatment
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a collective term for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).
DVT is a common medical condition which occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the leg or the pelvis. DVT can block off or reduce the flow of blood in the vein and cause pain and swelling in the leg. This may result in lifelong disability with painful leg swelling, varicose veins and leg ulcers.
Sometimes the blood clot in the leg can break off and travel to the arteries of the lung where it will cause a PE—this may cause breathing difficulties and chest pain and may be fatal.
A risk assessment should be carried out for all adult patients on admission to hospital, repeated within 24 hours of admission and whenever their clinical condition changes.
If a patient is considered to be at high risk of developing a blood clot in hospital, preventative measures may be taken.
Pharmacy staff perform monthly snapshot audits to determine whether patients who have been assessing as being at risk of blood clots are prescribed appropriate preventative medication (thromboprophylaxis).
Results of these audits will be published on this website on a monthly basis.
Current performance—% of at risk patients prescribed appropriate preventative medication
| 2013 | % of patients prescribed appropriate preventative medication |
|---|---|
| Jan | 90% |
Previous performance—% of patients prescribed appropriate preventative medication
2012
| Month | % of patients prescribed appropriate preventative medication |
|---|---|
| Dec | 88% |
| Nov | 94% |
| Oct | 89% |
| Sep | 88% |
| Aug | 84% |
| Jul | 90% |
| Jun | 91% |
| May | 94% |
| Apr | 94% |
| Mar | 86% |
| Feb | 92% |
| Jan | 89% |
2011
| Month | % of patients prescribed appropriate preventative medication |
|---|---|
| Dec | 91% |
| Nov | 82% |
| Oct | 87% |
| Sep | 86% |
| Aug | 85% |
