The Guidelines
Browse through the brief summaries below to get a sense of what to expect from
all 10 of the ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on VTE.
Access the first six by visiting www.bloodadvances.org/VTE.
Prophylaxis for
Medical Patients
Medical inpatients, long-
term care residents,
persons with minor injuries,
and long-distance travelers
are at increased risk of VTE, which can be fatal.
Hospitalization for acute medical illness is an
important opportunity for applying prevention
efforts. These guidelines address methods to
prevent VTE in hospitalized and non-hospitalized
medical patients and long-distance travelers.
Diagnosis
Accurate diagnosis of VTE
is important due to the
morbidity and mortality
associated with missed
diagnoses and the potential
side effects, patient inconvenience, and resource
implications of anticoagulant treatment given for
VTE. These guidelines are intended to support
patients, clinicians, and health care professionals
in VTE diagnosis. Diagnostic strategies were
evaluated for pulmonary embolism (PE), deep
vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower and upper
extremity, and recurrent VTE.
Anticoagulation
Therapy
Clinicians confront
numerous practical issues
in optimizing the use of
anticoagulants to treat VTE.
Anticoagulant therapy is complex and associated
with substantial benefits and risks. These
guidelines focus on the optimal management
of anticoagulant drugs for the prevention and
treatment of VTE following the choice of an
anticoagulant.
Heparin-Induced
Thrombocytopenia
(HIT)
HIT is a prothrombotic
adverse drug reaction. One-
third to one-half of cases of
HIT are complicated by thrombosis, which may
be limb- or life-threatening. Recommendations
address screening of asymptomatic patients for
HIT, diagnosis and initial management of patients
with suspected HIT, treatment of acute HIT, and
special situations in patients with acute HIT or a
history of HIT, including cardiovascular surgery,
percutaneous cardiovascular intervention (PCI),
renal replacement therapy, and VTE prophylaxis.
Pregnancy
Pregnancy-associated
VTE is a leading cause of
maternal morbidity and
mortality. The diagnosis,
prevention, and treatment
of pregnancy-associated
VTE are particularly difficult because of the need
to consider fetal, as well as maternal, well-being.
These guidelines address these challenging
issues.