Blood Thinner Prevents DVT in Hospital Patients

A study has revealed that critically ill hospitalized patients at risk for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) who received a daily dose of dalteparin, a low molecular-weight heparin, had a 45% reduction in DVT risk compared to patients given placebo.

The study involved 3,076 hospitalized patients, randomized to receive either 5,000 daily units of dalteparin or a placebo for 14 days. There was no significant increase in major bleeding among patients receiving the blood thinner, compared with the placebo group. The study results were reported in the August 2, 2004, online issue of Circulation.

"Previous research has demonstrated that undetected DVT can lead to pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition in patients who are otherwise recovering well from other medical illnesses,” noted senior investigator Samuel Z. Goldhaber, M.D., a cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital (Boston, MA, USA; www.brighamandwomens.org). "This study's results are a call-to-action to ensure that all hospitalized patients with medical illness receive a proven DVT prevention plan.”

According to the American Heart Association, DVT occurs in about two million people a year in the United States alone. More than 600,000 of those with DVT are at risk of PE, which occurs when a blood clot breaks off, migrates to the lungs, and blocks the pulmonary artery.




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