Venous Thromboembolism: A Case Study

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Pages: 7

Venous Thromboembolism
Who? What? When? Diagnosis and Treatment

Karrie Kinest
November 10th, 2015
Eastern Gateway Community College

A variety of people are at risk for VTE, DVT, and PE, especially those that are hospitalized. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines a venous thromboembolism (VTE) as a term that includes either a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE). (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2015) Deep vein thrombosis, is the formation of a blood clot within a deep vein, forming part of the spectrum of venous thrombo-embolic disease, which also is included in PE. DVT commonly occurs in the deep veins of the lower leg or the proximal veins of the ilio-femoral segment. DVT may also occur in the upper limb veins including the subclavian vein, visceral veins or the vena cava.(Darwood, 2013) A pulmonary embolism is a sudden blockage in a lung artery. The cause is usually a blood clot in the leg called a DVT that breaks loose and travels through the blood stream to the lung. (Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, 2015)
Approximately 100-200 per 100,000 adults per
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The balance of these factors in conjunction with prostacyclin, nitric oxide and cell surface glycosaminoglycans serves to protect against the formation of thrombosis. Direct or indirect trauma to the endothelial wall exposes the collagen-rich thrombogenic basement membrane of the vein, and can induce thrombosis by upsetting this balance and causing platelet activation. Trauma and major surgery increase the levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 over the first 7-10 days, resulting in a deficiency of local fibrinolysis. Surgery and trauma also cause the release of tissue factor (TF) from extravascular tissue and adventitia. TF binds to factor VIIa to activate the clotting cascade and may exert at remote sites, which cause DVT”. (Cayley,