According to the CDC 60,000-100,000 Americans die of DVT/PE, but were these cases avoidable? Were the medical professionals following the right protocols and procedures to prevent these cases from becoming life threatening or even terminal?
DVT/PE is a Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism. DVT is a serious medical condition that affects the body when a blood clot occurs in a deep vein; it is usually found in the lower leg, thigh, pelvis, and occasionally the arm. DVT generally affects adults over the age of forty; however there have been numerous documented cases of patients younger than forty such as a runner named Sara Wyen when she was only 29 years old. A blood clot, while serious, can be treated with a simple anticoagulant medication and compression socks and when diagnosed and evaluated in the proper time frame is treatable.
One of the main concerns of DVT is PE, a Pulmonary Embolism. A pulmonary embolism is when a clot breaks off and travels into the lungs. This causes severe damage to the lungs and if the clot is large enough it can be fatal for the patient. This treatable disease is almost always preventable as long as medical professionals follow the appropriate hospital guidelines, properly estimate and recognize risk factors for DVT/PE, and communicates properly with the patient so that they understand the risk factor of DVT and PE. Some of the risk factors of DVT/PE are;
Bone Fractures
Surgeries
Sitting for long periods of time (i.e. on airplanes or driving commercial vehicles)
Pregnancy
Birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy
Obesity or severe weight gain
Smoking
Chronic Medical conditions (i.e. heart disease, lung disease, Crohn’s disease, Ulcerative Colitis, genetic disorders that prevent blood clotting, and cancer)
Familial history of DVT
History of DVT or Pulmonary Embolism
Regrettably health care professionals do not always follow protocol leading to the injury or death of their patients. This calendar year, an obese patient was admitted for a simple knee replacement surgery. The medical professional failed to follow the aforementioned guidelines and instructed the patient to stay on bed rest for several weeks following the surgery. The naked eye can see clearly that she was blatantly showing multiple signs of high risk for DVT and PE. Several weeks into her bed rest following her surgery she was rushed to the ER where she died of DVT and PE. This was clear case of negligence on her Doctor’s behalf.
We have seen four other cases like this one just this year alone. Our Harvard Professor of Orthopedics’ report outlined the breaches in the standard of care and the direct causation giving the attorney what he needed to obtain the highest possible settlement for his client.
