An International Consensus Statement on the Prevention and Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism

A joint effort by some of the world's leading experts on cardiovascular disease has led to the creation of a much-needed set of authoritative guidelines for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Today at the 33rd annual VEITHsymposium™, Dr. Andrew N. Nicolaides, Emeritus Professor of Vascular Surgery at the Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Cyprus, presented the key recommendations for protecting those most at risk for developing VTE.

New York (PRWEB) November 16, 2006 -- A joint effort by some of the world's leading experts on cardiovascular disease has led to the creation of a much-needed set of authoritative guidelines for the prevention and treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Today at the 33rd annual VEITHsymposium™, Dr. Andrew N. Nicolaides, Emeritus Professor of Vascular Surgery at the Department of Biomedical Sciences University of Cyprus, presented the key recommendations for protecting those most at risk for developing VTE.

VTE is a term encompassing both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. In deep vein thrombosis, blood clots develop deep inside the veins, usually as the result of a slow flow of blood to the legs. This slow blood flow is most often caused by injury, such as a broken bone, or by long periods of immobilization, such as taking a long journey by airplane. If these clots then break off and travel to the lungs, the result is pulmonary embolism. According to the American Heart Association, every year deep vein thrombosis hospitalizes 2 million Americans; of these, 30% go on to develop pulmonary embolism, resulting in 60,000 deaths.

The consensus committee divided its recommendations into three grades: A, B, and C. Grade A recommendations are limited to those based on the highest quality of level 1 evidence from randomized controlled trials. The consensus committee focused its Grade A recommendations on treatment strategies for moderate-risk patients, defined as those over the age of 40 undergoing major surgery for benign disease, and high-risk patients, defined as those over the age of 60 with additional risk factors.

For both moderate- and high-risk patients, the consensus committee gave a Grade A to the administration of heparin, an anti-coagulant, in one of two forms: low-dose unfractionated heparin, which is administered two to three times daily, and low-weight molecular heparin, which requires only once daily administration. Both forms of heparin have been widely reported to significantly reduce deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, and the committee found little difference in efficacy between them.

For moderate-risk patients who are at high risk for uncontrolled bleeding and therefore should not be administered heparin, the consensus committee gave a Grade A recommendation to intermittent pneumatic compression, a device that acts as a pump to improve leg circulation. This simple treatment has been found to reduce the incidence of asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis by as much as 69%. The consensus committee also recommended that this therapy be combined with graduated elastic compression stockings, which have been found to reduce the incidence of asymptomatic deep vein thrombosis by as much as 60%. Both of these therapies should be continued until the patient is walking again.

"Although the guidelines have been published and are distributed to the medical profession throughout the world in the form of a booklet and a CD-Rom the faculty feels that in order to ensure full compliance it is important to educate the patients and the public," said Dr. Nicolaides.

About VEITHsymposium™
Now entering its fourth decade, VEITHsymposium™ provides vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists, interventional cardiologists and other vascular specialists with a unique and exciting format to learn the most current information about what is new and important in the treatment of vascular disease. The 5-day event features 300 rapid-fire presentations from the world's most renowned vascular specialists with emphasis on the latest advances, changing concepts in diagnosis and management, pressing controversies and new techniques.

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