Abstract
Objective:To investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) in postoperative patients.Methods:This descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted from August 2016 to October 2016 at two university hospitals and one public hospital. Total 217,354 patients records who underwent surgery in between 2010 and 2015 were examined. The study sample consisted of 123 patients who had postoperative venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and whose discharge details, consultation data, diagnostic reports, and tests were examined in detail.Results:The prevalence of VTE in postoperative patients was 5.6/10,000. The mean age of the patients was 60.22±18.56 years. Of 123 patients, 51.20% were male, 30.90% were smokers, 46.30% had a comorbid disease, and 27.60% were diagnosed with cancer. Of the patients who had postoperative VTE, 65.0% had major surgery. Pharmacologic thromboprophylaxis was used in only 24.4% of patients (n=30).Conclusion:The prevalence of VTE in the present study is lower than that in other studies. Because surgery is a risk factor for VTE, patients who will be operated should be assessed. Considering the present results, we can assume that patients’ conditions are not being assessed appropriately. In addition, findings indicate that a standard for preventing VTE has not yet been established.
Highlights
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) includes both Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE); it is the third most common cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke.[1]
In a multicenter study conducted in Turkey, 1701 patients at 11 hospitals were examined for VTE risk: this study demonstrated that 35.6% of all patients and 64.9% of the surgical patients face VTE risk.[9]
Of the patients who had postoperative VTE, 27.60% were diagnosed with cancer (Table-I)
Summary
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) includes both Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE); it is the third most common cardiovascular disease after myocardial infarction and stroke.[1] In United States of America, approximately 900,000 people experience VTE every year. Approximately 100,000 people die due to unknown reasons related to VTE.[2] VTE is a serious but preventable health issue. There are three factors that play a role in the development of VTE: damages to the venous endothelium, venous stasis, and hypercoagulability.[3] There is another factor that plays a role in the development of VTE, and this factor is surgery.[3,4,5,6] Venous stasis may develop in postoperative patients due to physical inactivity
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