Thromboprophylaxis Measures to Prevent Venous Thromboembolism in Hospitalized Patients

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication in hospitalized patients and is the most frequent cause of preventable death in these patients, in addition to being the third cause of death of cardiovascular origin. Even though the loss of recent or continued mobility represents an important predisposition related to the onset of VTE, there are no clear and uniform criteria for defining the concept of immobility. Despite this, it is currently known that the early mobilization and other non-pharmacological thromboprophylactic measures of the patient in the medical or surgical clinic is an essential measure for his full recovery and satisfactory prognosis. Therefore, it is always important to prescribe preventive multiprofessional care, such as lateral decubitus variation, bed positioning, passive continuous movements apparatus as use of a cycle ergometer (CE), compressive socks, intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC), electric stimulation, sitting position, orthostatism, transfer from bed to chair, walking, and insertion of a filtering device in the lower portion of the main human vein in order to guarantee recovery quickly, safely and free from the risk of developing fatal complications such as pulmonary thromboembolism (PTE). Our objective in this article is to briefly summarize the main non-pharmacological thromboprophylaxis measures that help prevent venous embolism, in addition to addressing other mechanical resources used to prevent complications of thromboembolic events described in the literature on this topic.

Keywords

• venous thromboembolism
• early mobilization
• thromboprophylaxis
• non-pharmacology measures
• inpatients