Prevalence of deep vein thrombosis and associated factors in adult medical patients admitted to the University Teaching Hospital, Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) collectively referred to as venous thromboembolism (VTE) are associated with significant morbidity and mortality worldwide. DVT is common in hospitalized patients with acute medical illness. Routine use of thrombo prophylaxis has been shown to reduce prevalence of DVT in hospitalized patients with acute medical illness. Thrombo prophylaxis is not routinely given to hospitalized medical patients in most hospitals in Zambia.