Prevention strategies of venous thromboembolism in critically ill ICU patients

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Patients in intensive care unit (ICU) are often at a high risk of VTE due to combining many risk factors. Prevention strategies of VTE in critically ill patients are crucial, including identification of risk factors, the risk assessment of thrombosis and bleeding, mechanical prophylaxis and drug prophylaxis, effect monitoring, and quality control. Since the risk of VTE in ICU patients is high, the risk of bleeding should not be ignored. It is a challenge for ICU physicians to comprehensively evaluate the risk of thrombosis and bleeding in critically ill patients and implement effective preventive and monitoring measures in time. This article reviews the relevant research progress on prevention strategies of VTE in critically ill patients in order to provide clinical evidence for the prophylaxis of VTE in critically ill patients.

Keywords

• venous thromboembolism|critically ill patients|risk assessment|thromboprophylaxis strategy