O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 O U T P A T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T 6 7
A
lthough it's
preventable,
almost
300,000
Americans
die annually from deep vein
thrombosis (DVT) and its pri-
mary complication, pulmonary
embolism. Fortunately, if
caught in time, DVT is com-
pletely treatable. The classic
signs of DVT, especially if it
occurs in the lower extremities,
are leg pain, swelling, tender-
ness, and redness or discol-
oration of the skin. The bad
news is that, about half of the
time, DVT has no symptoms at all. The first and most
important step in protecting your patients from a
potentially fatal DVT is to know whether they are at risk.
I'm the creator of the widely used Caprini DVT Risk Assessment, which gener-
ates a total clotting risk score ("Caprini Score") based on a patient's health history
and comorbidities (osmag.net/6cywtg). Your surgical team has complete control
over identifying the factors that can lead to DVT, and should use Caprini Scores to
guide their prophylaxis efforts.
Are Your Patients at Risk of DVT?
The vascular surgeon who created the Caprini Score discusses
how to protect your patients from life-threatening blood clots.
Joseph A. Caprini, MD, MS, FACS, RVT | Evanston, Ill.
SQUEEZE PLAY Applying sequential compres-
sion devices during surgery effectively pre-
vents the physiological risk factors of clotting.
Pamela
Bevelhymer,
RN,
BSN,
CNOR
