Blood Clot Risk for Outpatients Needs More Attention:
Study
04/27/12
FRIDAY, April 27 (HealthDay News) -- People undergoing
outpatient surgery should be warned about their risk for dangerous
blood clots, according to a new study that finds the risk is higher
among groups including, but not limited to, those who are older or
obese.
The University of Michigan researchers found that one in 84
patients considered high-risk suffers a blood clot after outpatient
surgery. More than 60 percent of operations are currently performed
as outpatient procedures, according to background information in a
university new release.
"Outpatient surgery now includes a greater variety of procedures, from plastic surgery to cancer operations and orthopedic surgery, and not all patients are young, healthy individuals," lead study author Dr. Christopher Pannucci, a University of Michigan plastic surgeon, said in the news release. "These data are in stark contrast to provider and patient expectations that outpatient surgery is a low-risk event."
The researchers looked at more than 200,000 outpatient surgeries
across the United States, and found that most patients had more
than one risk factor for developing a clot, known as a venous
thromboembolism. These clots form in the veins (deep vein
thrombosis or DVT) and can be deadly if they travel to the lungs
(pulmonary embolism).
The study, published online April 13 in
Annals of Surgery, concluded that improved patient screening is needed to prevent these dangerous blood clots. Factors to consider include:
- Age
- Surgery length
- Current pregnancy
- Active cancer
- Type of surgical procedure
The researchers, who have created a tool that clinicians can use
to measure a patient's risk for blood clot following outpatient
surgery, said their findings could help improve how patients are
informed about their surgical risks.
More information
The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has more
about
the treatment and prevention of blood clots.
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