Summary
Preventable venous thromboembolism (VTE) and “appropriate” type, dose, and duration
of prophylaxis are emerging concepts. Contemporary definitions by key quality organisations,
including the World Health Organization, have shifted towards “preventable” VTE being
considered an adverse event or adverse drug event. A decision tree and cost model
were developed to estimate the United States health care costs for total deep-vein
thrombosis (DVT), total hospital-acquired DVT, and total “preventable” DVT. Annual
cost ranges were obtained in 2010 US dollars for total ($7.5 to $39.5 billion), hospital-acquired
($5 to $26.5billion), and preventable ($2.5 to $19.5 billion) DVT costs. When the
sensitivity analysis was applied – taking into consideration higher incidence rates
and costs – annual US total, hospital-acquired, and “preventable” DVT costs ranged
from $9.8 to $52 billion, $6.8 to $36 billion, and $3.4 to $27 billion, respectively.
keywords
Adverse drug event - adverse event - cost model - deep-vein thrombosis - preventable