More Americans
die from DVT than

breast cancer, AIDS and 
traffic fatalities — combined.1

deep vein thrombosis

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot, usually in a vein in the lower leg, that can cause severe breathing problems or death if it travels to your lungs.

Need for Prevention at Home

Many factors determine your risk for DVT, but studies show you’re at highest risk five to 10 days after surgery.2 With today’s shorter hospital stays, that’s most likely when you’re recovering at home, away from the watchful eye of your health care providers. Therefore, it’s vital that life-saving DVT prevention doesn’t end at the time of discharge after surgery — but continues at home throughout your most vulnerable days. Your physician can prescribe DVT prevention that you can use at home, including both mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis.

Warning Signs

Signs of DVT
  • Pain or tenderness in an extremity of groin
  • Sudden swelling of the leg
  • Noticeably warm skin
  • Change in the color of the leg
Signs of Related Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain while breathing
  • Rapid pulse
  • Coughing with blood
  • Unexplained anxiety
  • Sweating

If you suspect you have DVT, call your surgeon or healthcare provider immediately.  If you suspect you have a PE, call 911 or have someone take you to an emergency room.

DVT AFFECTS OVER

2 MILLION AMERICANS

EACH YEAR

Mechanical Vs. Pharmacological

Your physician can prescribe prophylaxis — a preventive action taken against DVT — in different ways. Mechanical prophylaxis uses intermittent compression on the lower legs to stimulate blood flow and prevent DVT. It is safe and effective, with no side effects.3 In addition, Compression Solutions has made this type of treatment easy for patients to use at home, with our compact and portable Triple Play VT®.

Pharmacological prophylaxis works to prevent DVT through anticoagulant medicines. Though effective, these can cause adverse side effects such as the risk of bleeding complications. Several studies show positive results from using both mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis to prevent DVT. In fact, combining compression therapy with medications cuts DVT risk by 75%.4

MEDS + COMPRESSION TREATMENT

CUTS DVT RISK BY 75%

Risk Assessment

    Knowing Your Risk for DVT

    Developed by Joseph A. Caprini, MD, MS, FACS, RVT, the Caprini Risk Assessment Model is the most widely accepted method for DVT risk factor assessment. Typically administered prior to surgery, you may also complete the assessment here to share with your doctor.

    Louis W. Biegler Chair of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Evanston, Ill., Clinical Professor of Surgery, The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Chicago, Ill.
    Developed as an educational tool by Dr. Caprini to improve patient care. This permission does not imply that Dr. Caprini endorses any product for the prevention of venous thrombosis. He would rely on the literature for selecting any thrombosis prophylaxis modalities.

    venous thromboembolism Risk Factor Assessment

    RISK FACTOR SCORE
    LOW
    RISK

    Choose All that Apply

    Each Risk Factor Represents1 POINT


    ***Additional risk factors not tested in the validation studies but shown in the literature to be associated with thrombosis include BMI above 40, smoking, diabetes requiring insulin, chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and length of surgery over 2 hours.

    Women Only - Each Risk Factor Represents 1 POINT

    Each Risk Factor Represents2 POINTS

    Each Risk Factor Represents3 POINTS

    Each Risk Factor Represents5 POINTS

    VTE Risk and Suggested Prophylaxis For Surgical Patients




    TOTAL RISK
    FACTOR SCORE     0
    < 10%INCIDENCE OF DVT
    LOWEST RISK
    TOTAL RISK
    FACTOR SCORE     0    		 < 10%INCIDENCE OF DVT
    LOWEST RISK
    Risk Score Prophylaxis Duration VTE Rate*
    0 [lowest] Early ambulation During hospitalization <0.5%
    1-2 [low] Either compression sleeves OR prophylatic anticoagulation During hospitalization 1.5%
    3-4 [moderate] Compression sleeves AND prophylatic anticoagulation During hospitalization 3.0%
    5 or More [highest] Compression sleeves AND prophylatic anticoagulation 7-30 days total 6-18%
    Risk Score Prophylaxis
    0 [lowest] Early ambulation
    1-2 [low] Either compression sleeves OR prophylatic anticoagulation
    3-4 [moderate] Compression sleeves AND prophylatic anticoagulation
    5 or More [highest] Compression sleeves AND prophylatic anticoagulation
    Risk Score Duration VTE Rate*
    0 [lowest] During hospitalization <0.5%
    1-2 [low] During hospitalization 1.5%
    3-4 [moderate] During hospitalization 3.0%
    5 or More [highest] 7-30 days total 6-18%
    *Notes
    • 30- and 60-day clinical VTE rate based on patient groups and type of surgery without prophylaxis.
    • Compression sleeves should be worn during hospitalization and portable sleeves may be beneficial post-discharge especially when leg swelling is present or the score is very high.

    Prophylaxis Safety Considerations : CHECK IF ANSWER IS ‘YES’

    ANTICOAGULANTS If any of the below boxes are checked, the patient may not be a candidate for anticoagulant therapy and should consult with their physician about alternative prophylactic measures including elastic stockings and/or Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC).

    Anticoagulants
    Factors Associated with Increased Bleeding

    INTERMITTENT PNEUMATIC COMPRESSION If any of the below boxes are checked, the patient may not be a candidate for intermittent compression therapy and should consult with their physician about alternative prophylactic measures.

    Intermittent Pneumatic Compression
    (IPC)

     

    Hospital Re-admissions

    When a patient must be readmitted to the hospital because of post-surgical DVT, the results can be devastating for everyone involved. Fact is, nearly 50 percent of all DVT cases happen after a patient is discharged.5 Triple Play VT® reduces this risk to patients — and their providers — by decreasing the likelihood of life-threatening, post-surgical DVT during the vulnerable first week after discharge. Designed to promote the continuum of care from the hospital to home after surgery, Triple Play VT is compact, portable and easy for patients to use. The result is greater compliance, positive patient experiences and better outcomes.

    Never Events

    Medical errors that should not happen are called “never events.” They not only harm patients, but hospitals as well, resulting in costly fines or loss of reimbursement.  The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have deemed DVT a never event. Still, DVT/VTE is the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths.6 Research shows 2 in 100 patients admitted to a hospital dies because of pulmonary embolism (PE), which is a result of DVT.7  Hospitals and surgical centers can affordably prevent life-threatening DVT never events with Triple Play VT® from Compression Solutions. Using DVT prophylaxis will reduce the incidence of DVT never events during the post-operative period by two-thirds.8

    YOUR DVT RISK IS GREATEST

    5-10 DAYS AFTER SURGERY

    Cost to Prevent vs. Treat

    As with most other diseases, preventing DVT is substantially less expensive than treating its consequences. The cost to diagnose and treat DVT and its effects in the United States is estimated to be as much as $23.8 billion per year.9 According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), DVT treatment costs an average of $50,937 per patient.

    HCAHPS Scores

    At Compression Solutions, we understand the importance of creating positive patient outcomes — and experiences. That’s why we designed the Triple Play VT® to be compact, portable and easy to use at home — where DVT strikes the most.  Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and weighing just a pound, Triple Play VT is battery operated to maximize patient mobility. The result is better compliance and patient experiences, which can translate to more positive Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) scores.