Hospitalization and Surgery

Blood Clots in the Hospital Setting

Hospitalization is considered one of the primary risk factors for blood clots, or deep vein thrombosis or DVT (blood clots in the legs) and pulmonary embolism or PE (blood clots in the lungs).

Patients who are hospitalized for acute medical illness have a 10-fold increased risk for venous thromboembolism or DVT/PE.

Most hospitalized patients have at least one risk factor present, including immobility, cancer, infection, and/or surgery.

Without prophylaxis or proper prevention methods, blood clots occur in up to 40% of medical and general surgery patients and up to 60% of patients who have major orthopedic surgery.

Roughly one out of 10 hospital deaths are related to PE.

Read more about blood clots and hospitalization here:

Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ – Hospitalization

Preventing Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism (VTE): A Public Health and Patient Safety Challenge, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention