Understanding patient assessment and treatment in deep vein thrombosis
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Understanding patient assessment and treatment in deep vein thrombosis

Sinead Duffy Lead coagulation nurse specialist, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, England

Why you should read this article:
  • To enhance your knowledge of diagnosis and treatment in deep vein thrombosis (DVT)

  • To learn about the specificities of history taking and physical examination in suspected DVT

  • To better understand how you can support patients with DVT, notably in terms of adherence to treatment

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) commonly develops in the deep veins of the legs, but it can potentially form in any part of the body. There are several risk factors associated with DVT including prolonged immobility, malignancy, recent surgery and family history. One of the main risks of DVT is that the thrombus that has formed in a vein may travel through the body and become lodged in the pulmonary system, causing a pulmonary embolism, which is life-threatening. In the UK, specialist services and diagnostic pathways have been developed to speed up the diagnosis and treatment of DVT, many of which are now nurse-led. This article uses a case study to outline the assessment of patients with suspected DVT and the treatment of patients with a confirmed diagnosis of DVT.

Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e12050

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

sinead.duffy@nhs.net

Conflict of interest

The author has received speaker honoraria from Bayer. Bayer has had no input into this article

Duffy S (2022) Understanding patient assessment and treatment in deep vein thrombosis. Nursing Standard. doi: 10.7748/ns.2022.e12050

Published online: 24 October 2022

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