Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), a term encompassing both deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolus (PE), is a common problem, estimated to occur in about 1 in 1,000 adults annually (1). DVT and PE are interrelated diseases. Not only do they share many risk factors, but in one autopsy series of 195 patients who died of PE, DVT was identified in 83% of patients (2), and risk of PE from DVT is at least 40% (3, 4). VTE is an extremely serious condition, with a 3-month mortality rate of 8.65% among patients who presented with symptomatic VTE (5).