Summary
Definition
History and exam
Key diagnostic factors
- previous VTE, thrombophilia, malignancy, postoperative setting, trauma, and indwelling central catheter
- chronic medical conditions, paresis, increasing age, obesity, oestrogen-containing contraceptive pills and HRT, varicose veins, pregnancy and up to 6 week postnatal, first-degree relative with a history of VTE, extended travel, and admission to intensive care
Risk factors
- previous VTE (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and/or pulmonary embolism [PE])
- thrombophilia
- malignancy
- postoperative setting
- trauma
- indwelling central catheter (upper or lower extremity)
- immobility
- myeloproliferative diseases
- congestive heart failure
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- inflammatory bowel disease
- neurological disease with extremity paresis
- increasing age
- obesity
- oestrogen-containing contraceptive pills, HRT, and androgen deprivation therapy
- history of varicose veins
- pregnancy/postnatal
- extended travel
- lower leg immobility
- first-degree relative with a history of VTE
- admission to intensive care
Diagnostic investigations
Treatment algorithm
Contributors
Authors
Attending Physician
Assistant Professor
University of Montreal
Montreal
Canada
Disclosures
NR declares that she has no competing interests.

Associate Professor
General Internal Medicine Program Director
McGill University Division of Internal Medicine
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology of the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research
Jewish General Hospital
Montreal
Canada
Disclosures
VT declares that she has received an investigator-initiated grant from Sanofi-Aventis. She has also received consultancy fees from Bristol-Myers Squibb, Leo Pharma, Pfizer, Sanofi-Aventis, and Daiichi Sanyo. VT is an author of a reference cited in this monograph.
Postdoctoral Fellow
McGill University
Centre for Clinical Epidemiology of the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research
Jewish General Hospital
Montreal
Canada
Disclosures
AJKD declares that he has no competing interests.
Dr Nathalie Routhier, Dr Vicky Tagalakis, and Dr Adi J. Klil-Drori would like to gratefully acknowledge Dr Vincent Bouchard-Dechêne, a previous contributor to this monograph. VBD declares that he has no competing interests.
Peer reviewers
Clinical Director
Acute Medicine
Associate Medical Director
Consultant Emergency Medicine
Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
Clinical Lead and Consultant
Accident Emergency Medicine
St Thomas' Hospital
London
UK
Disclosures
AP declares that he has no competing interests.
Hematologist
Thrombosis Fellow
University of Ottawa
Ottawa Health Research Institute
Ottawa
Canada
Disclosures
SS declares that he has no competing interests.
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