Venous Thromboembolism: A Nurses Guide to Prevention and Management

Written primarily with nurses in mind, this book provides a comprehensive overview of venous thromboembolism, a condition that rears its head regardless of specialty, killing thousands of people around the world in hospital beds and in the community alike. This book explains what it is, what symptoms to watch out for, how patients should be managed, and perhaps most importantly, how to prevent its development in those at risk.
Based on the most up to date published guidelines on the subject, the book is pitched at a level appropriate for medical and nursing staff alike, covering basic pathophysiology and clinical management. A chapter is devoted to specific nursing interventions, giving practical tips alongside the theory. Case studies are used extensively, alongside tables, diagrams and text boxes to illustrate important points.
Although designed to be read as a whole, each chapter can be used as a reference to address specific queries enabling health professionals to develop a greater understanding of the condition to provide optimal patient care.Written primarily with nurses in mind, this book provides a comprehensive overview of venous thromboembolism, a condition that rears its head regardless of specialty, killing thousands of people around the world in hospital beds and in the community alike.This book explains what it is, what symptoms to watch out for, how patients should be managed, and perhaps most importantly, how to prevent its development in those at risk.Based on the most up to date published guidelines on the subject, the book is pitched at a level appropriate for medical and nursing staff alike, covering basic pathophysiology and clinical management.A chapter is devoted to specific nursing interventions, giving practical tips alongside the theory. Case studies are used extensively, alongside tables, diagrams and text boxes to illustrate important points.

Spis treści:
Contributors.
Pr eface.
Acknowledgements.
Chapter 1 What is VTE?
An Introduction.
The Scale of the Problem.
A Timeline of Our Understanding.
Chapter 2 Pathophysiology.
Anatomy of the Lower Limb Veins.
Virchow′s Triad.
Venous Thrombus Formation.
The Coagulation Pathway.
Chapter 3 Risk Factors.
Introduction.
Risk Assessment.
Risk Factors.
Chapter 4 Prophylaxis.
Evidence for Prevention.
Methods of Prophylaxis.
Consensus Guideline Recommendations.
Chapter 5 Deep Vein Thrombosis.
Signs and Symptoms.
Differential Diagnosis.
Investigations.
Treatment.
Upper Extremity DVT.
Thrombosis in Children.
Chapter 6 Pulmonary Embolism.
Signs and Symptoms.
Investigations.
Treatment.
Chapter 7 Pharmacological Management of VTE.
Introduction.
Vitamin K Antagonists.
Unfractionated Heparin.
Low Molecular Weight Heparin.
Newer Anticoagulants.
Chapter 8 Nursing Interventions (Written by Lynda Bonner).
Practical Thromboprophylaxis.
Implementation.
Informing the Patient.
Appendices.
Glossary.
Index.