National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Division of Blood Disorders.

The Problem: Healthcare-associated venous thromboembolism (blood clots) is a significant, deadly, costly, and growing public health problem. Prevention Can Save Lives: Proven ways to prevent blood clots from occurring during or after a healthcare encounter exist, but not all hospitals and healthcare facilities have put these prevention strategies into practice or use them routinely. 1. Learn the Lingo About Blood Clots • Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT): Blood clot located in a deep vein usually in the leg or am. • Pulmonary Embolism (PE): Blood clot that has traveled from a deep vein to the lung. PE can be deadly. • Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): DVT and PE are also known as VTE. • Healthcare-Associated VTE (HA-VTE): A DVT or PE that occurs as a result of hospitalization, surgery, or other healthcare treatment or procedure. 2. Blood Clots Are Costly Costs due to healthcare-associated blood clots exceed 5 billion dollars per year 3. Blood Clots are Deadly and a Significant, Growing Public Health Problem Blood clots affect as many as 900,000 Americans each year leading to approximately 100,000 premature deaths. 50% of blood clots are healthcare-associated. Although there are many reasons a person might develop a blood clot, about half of them are directly related to a recent hospitalization or surgery and most of these do not occur until after discharge. 4. Healthcare-Associated Blood Clots Are Avoidable: Prevention is Key • As many as 70% of healthcare-associated blood clots are preventable. • However, fewer than 50% of hospital patients receive appropriate preventive treatment. 5. What You Can Do To Help Prevent Healthcare-Associated Blood Clots Before surgery or hospitalization ask your healthcare provider: • Am I at risk for a blood clot? • Do I need preventive treatment to keep me from having a blood clot? Upon discharge ask your healthcare provider: • What can I do to continue to prevent blood clots from developing once I’m home? • What are the signs and symptoms of a blood clot? • What should I do if I think I have a blood clot? At home: • Follow your doctor’s instructions for preventing blood clots; take medicine as prescribed. • Move your arms and legs to help prevent blood clots from forming. • Call your doctor if you think you have a blood clot. ha-vte_infographic.pdf

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Infographic

Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library collection