Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients Nursed at Home or in Long-Term Care Residential Facilities

2011

Risk of Blood Clots in Patients Cared for at Home or in Nursing Homes

Sample size: 221 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Guido Arpaia, Federico Ambrogi, Maristella Penza, Aladar Bruno Ianes, Alessandra Serras, Patrizia Boracchi, Claudio Cimminiello

Primary Institution: Azienda Ospedaliera di Desio e Vimercate

What is the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in patients with chronic diseases who are bedridden or have limited mobility?

The study found an 18% prevalence of asymptomatic proximal DVT in patients with limited mobility cared for at home or in long-term facilities.

The prevalence of asymptomatic proximal DVT was found to be 18%.
No cases of symptomatic DVT or pulmonary embolism were detected.
Patients nursed at home had a significantly lower risk of DVT compared to those in long-term care.

This study looked at patients who can't move much and found that many of them have blood clots in their legs, even if they don't feel any pain.

The study used bedside compression ultrasound to screen 221 chronically ill patients for DVT.

Potential bias due to the non-standard method of diagnosis and the inability to validate results with an outside assessor.

The study could not distinguish between recent and older forms of DVT, and the diagnosis was based on ultrasound rather than the standard venography.

Patients were all over 18 years old, chronically ill, and either bedridden or with greatly limited mobility.

0.005

95% CI 13–24%

p<0.05

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