Abstract
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication after surgery. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) affect at least 350,000–600,000 Americans, contributing to 100,000–180,000 deaths each year. These numbers probably underestimate the true incidence which may be 2–3 times higher and are expected to increase as the US population ages. It is estimated that about half of these cases attributed to hospitalized patients occur in surgical patients, and it has become a national patient safety issue.
