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Review
. 2018 Sep 21;10(9):e3341.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.3341.

Thromboprophylaxis in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Literature Review

Amna Ejaz  1 , Munis M Ahmed  1 , Azka Tasleem  1 , Muhammad Rafay Khan Niazi  1 , Muhammad Farhan Ahsraf  1 , Imama Ahmad  1 , Asma Zakir  1 , Awais Raza  1
Affiliations
Review

Thromboprophylaxis in Intensive Care Unit Patients: A Literature Review

Amna Ejaz et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Thromboembolism is a major complication in hospitalized patients. Intensive care unit (ICU) patients have a greater risk of thrombotic events due to additional risk factors such as immobilization, mechanical ventilation, and central catheters. The diagnosis and management of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in critically ill patients are challenging and these conditions are associated with high mortality. Medical thromboprophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) as well as unfractionated heparin (UFH) has been shown to reduce the incidence of thromboembolic events in such patients. For patients with high risk of bleeding, mechanical thromboprophylaxis can be used. Literature database was conducted on Medline for articles published up to 2018 using particular search terms such as thromboprophylaxis and venous thromboembolism in ICU patients. The following review summarizes the existing data regarding thromboprophylaxis in ICU patients with special consideration to the use of mechanical prophylaxis and pharmacologic prophylaxis using heparin products.

Keywords: intensive care unit(icu); prophylaxis; thromboprophylaxis; venous thromboembolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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