Cardinal Health

Preventing Venous Thromboembolism: A Healthcare Professional Guide to Intervention 13 45% within 24hrs 75% within 48hrs 24hrs 48hrs Gap in VTE Prophylaxis. When Do Clots Form? Discharge from 24 hours + Hospital Stay Surgery PACU Level of VTE Risk Mechanical Prophylaxis E ective - Immediately upon application Chemical Gap Time (Hours) Highest Risk 4 0 6 15 24 48 72 96+ 10 Anticoagulant Administered Gap in VTE Prophylaxis Anticoagulant E ective Up to 5 hour delay before therapeutic • According to Nicolaides et al 45% of DVTs occur on the day of surgery. 24 • O’Meara et al suggest that 75% of DVTs have occurred by day two but only 25% of patients that develop DVT display clinical symptoms, 2 therefore highlighting the importance of commencing DVT prophylaxis during the operative period and continuing into the post-op period. Achieving a balance between bleeding risk during surgery and VTE prevention can be challenging and expose the patient to a gap in chemical prophylaxis during the operative period.