MONDAY, Oct. 23 (HealthDay News) -- An evidence-based, multifaceted venous thromboprophylaxis intervention designed to increase clinicians' compliance with clinical guidelines significantly decreased the incidence of deep venous thrombosis in elderly post-acute care patients, according to a paper in the Oct. 23 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Elodie Sellier, M.D., of Joseph Fourier University in Grenoble, France, and colleagues evaluated 1,373 patients aged 65 and older for deep venous thrombosis before (709 patients) and after (664 patients) implementation of a multifaceted evidence-based thromboprophylaxis intervention guideline.
Deep venous thromboses were found in 91 pre-intervention patients (12.8 percent) and in 52 post-intervention patients (7.8 percent). Pharmacologic prophylaxis -- including high-risk dose low-molecular-weight heparin, unfractionated heparin, or vitamin K -- was similar in both groups. However, post-intervention patients used graduated compression stockings more often (27.4 percent versus 34.6 percent) and were less likely to be given low-risk dose heparin.
"A multifaceted intervention addressing venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in post-acute care patients can be followed by a significant decrease in the rate of any deep venous thrombosis in elderly patients. More active interventions are needed to enforce compliance with evidence-based guidelines," the authors conclude.
Some of the study authors consult for Sanofi-Aventis France.
Abstract
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