New U.S. Study Identifies Hospital Characteristics Associated with Higher VTE Diagnoses

A new study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) finds that certain characteristics of hospitals and hospital patients are related to higher rates of venous thromboembolism (VTE) diagnoses. The study, published in the Public Library of Science journal (PLoS ONE) looked at more than 6.7 million hospitalizations from 1,039 hospitals around the United States.

Among the findings, higher rates of VTE diagnosis were observed among patients who were 80 years or older, male, Black, hospitalized for seven days or longer, and who had no operating room procedures. Additionally, hospitalized adults with pre-existing conditions – such as AIDS, anemia, arthritis, congestive heart failure, clotting disorders, high blood pressure, cancers, obesity, paralysis among others – were almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with VTE.

To read more about the study findings and the CDC’s recommendations for patients and hospital professionals, visit http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/dvt/features/existing-condition-hospital.html.