Deep vein thrombosis in a medical ward - Incidence and risk factors

Abstract

Objectives: Primary objective: The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in patients admitted to a medical ward. Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort to assess the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in patients admitted in a medical of our tertiary care center between October 2014 and May 2015. We excluded patients who had a preexisting deep vein thrombosis or a pulmonary embolism and patients on therapeutic anticoagulation. A bedside ultrasound machine was used for screening for deep vein thrombosis in the internal jugular, axillary, femoral, and popliteal veins. Noncompressibility of the vein compared to the artery was suggestive of thrombosis. Results: Among the 43 patients included in the study, 3 (6.98%) patients developed deep vein thrombosis. The incidence density is 7.48 per 1000 patient-days. One patient developed a central venous catheter-associated deep vein thrombosis. Multivariate analysis showed that the duration of hospital stay of more than 7 days was associated with a higher risk of development of deep vein thrombosis (odds ratio: 1.17 [confidence interval: 1.016–1.349]). Conclusions: The incidence of deep vein thrombosis among patients admitted in a medical ward of a tertiary care hospital in South India was 7.48 per 1000 patient-days. Hospital admission of more than 7 days was found to be a significant independent risk factor for development of deep vein thrombosis in our study.