Date of Paper/Work
5-2012
Type of Paper/Work
Scholarly project
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Nursing
Department
Nursing
Advisor
Vicki L. Ericson
Abstract
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), collectively referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE), is a major cause of morbidity and mortality. VTE accounts for 10% of unexpected fatalities in US hospitals annually, killing more people than AIDS, breast cancer and highway fatalities combined (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), 2012). There are approximately two million cases of VTE each year in the United States, with more than half of those cases occurring in the hospital. Fatal VTE results in the highest cause of unexpected hospital deaths in the United States, killing upwards of 200,000 people annually: Half of these deaths are potentially preventable (AHRQ, 2012).Despite known and proven anticoagulant prevention options, not everybody can benefit from anticoagulant medications because of clinically significant risk for major bleeding. Graduation compression stockings are commonly used in the hospital and nursing home settings to prevent VTE in patients with significant risk factors for major bleeding. The effectiveness of graduation compression stockings in preventing VTE in this category of patients is, however, not sufficiently established. The aim of this paper is to critically appraise the research supporting the use of graduation compression stockings to prevent VTE.
Department/School
Nurse Practitioner
Recommended Citation
Neba, Felix. (2012). Graduated Compression Stockings to Prevent Venous-Thromboembolism: A critical appraisal of the literature. Retrieved from Sophia, the St. Catherine University repository website: https://sophia.stkate.edu/ma_nursing/60