![]() Three broad categories of factors in the image below, known as Virchow’s triad, contribute to VTE. DVT risk increases with damage or trauma to the venous system or the lungs and with patient immobility. One-way venous valves open in response to pressure of the blood to prevent backward flow and blood pooling in the venous system. This occurs because the venous system is a low-pressure system muscles act as pumps to increase the velocity of returning blood, forcing blood upward to the heart. Contractions of leg muscles and one-way venous valves push blood forward from the feet to the heart’s right atrium. The deep veins in the legs return venous blood to the right atrium and lungs. With PE, mortality can be as high as 25% the condition causes roughly 10% to 25% of hospital deaths. Mortality for lower-extremity DVT ranges from 13% to 21% for upper-extremity DVT, it may be as high as 48%. With today’s shorter hospital stays and more same-day surgeries, patients with DVT may lack symptoms while hospitalized or may not develop symptoms until after discharge. Incidence of upper-extremity DVT has risen from increasing use of indwelling venous access catheters, permanent pacemakers, and internal cardiac defibrillators. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the umbrella term for DVT and PE. In the lung, the clot inhibits blood flow and can damage part of the lung or even lead to death. It can lead to pulmonary embolism (PE), in which the clot breaks loose, travels through the bloodstream to the lungs, and lodges there. DVT results from clot formation in a deep vein, usually in the leg. More than 2.5 million people are diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) each year. (See Understanding venous thromboembolism.) Understanding venous thromboembolism The Joint Commission now uses the term venous thromboembolism (VTE) to encompass both DVT and PE. As a nurse, you can play a pivotal role in improving outcomes by evaluating patients at risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and by using SCD properly and safely to prevent complications of thrombi and pulmonary embolism (PE). Patients continue to have poor outcomes after suffering blood clots in the legs or arms, despite physician orders for therapy with sequential compression devices (SCDs). Author Guidelines and Manuscript Submission.
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