S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 9 1
I
t's not easy to tell which patients are at risk for developing
life-threatening deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary
embolus (PE), known collectively as venous thromboem-
bolism (VTE). Besides the fact that clotting risk factors
aren't obvious, every patient has different risks for develop-
ing VTE, regardless of the type of surgery they're undergoing.
My go-to standard to gauge VTE risk is the Caprini Score Risk
Assessment Model. The tool, which assesses the risk stratification
of individual patients, takes into account not only the type and
Deep Dive Into
VTE Prevention
Match prophylaxis to patient-specific
risks to guard against clot formation.
Christopher J. Pannucci,
MD, MS, FAWM
Salt Lake City, Utah
• SAME-DAY SAFETY The importance
of considering patient-specific prophy-
laxis measures is heightened as more
complex procedures move to the outpa-
tient setting.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR