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 Huntington Hospital has taken an aggressive
and unique step to prevent the number one cause
of unexpected hospital deaths - deep vein thrombosis.
A comprehensive Anticoagulation Management Service
is tackling the problem of deep vein thrombosis
(DVT) in joint replacement patients. Targeting
these patients across the continuum of care -
before surgery, in the operating room, during
the post-operative period, through rehabilitation
and after they return home - the service's goal
is to prevent DVTs before they occur.
DVT is a blood clot that forms in
a vein deep within the body, most often in the
lower leg or thigh. Pieces of the clot can break
off and travel to the lungs, causing a potentially
fatal condition called pulmonary embolism (PE).
"There are two million DVTs a year
in the United States and 600,000 PEs," said Carol
Patrick, ACNP, Director of Anticoagulation Management
Services. "Of these, 200,000 die from the condition."
Risk factors include being over the
age of 40, being immobilized for long periods
of time, surgery, a broken bone, or other trauma.
Other risk factors are obesity, varicose veins,
and having a prior clot or family history of DVT.
Huntington's effort is being coordinated
by Kathleen Reed, RN, MS, ANP-C. Joint replacement
patients meet Ms. Reed during their pre-surgical
testing, when she assesses their risk for DVT
and provides education about the condition, including
prevention and recognition of symptoms.
The main preventative strategy is
for patients to be on anticoagulation medications,
more commonly known as blood thinners. Because
these medications may also put patients at risk
for bleeding, it is vital that they are closely
monitored throughout the three-to-six weeks of
anticoagulation therapy.
Ms. Reed oversees that monitoring
during hospitalization following joint replacement
surgery.. She then coordinates with rehabilitation
centers to ensure that patients are appropriately
monitored during their stay in rehab. Finally,
when patients return home, Ms. Reed works with
home care providers or patients directly to continue
monitoring until therapy ends.
"Monitoring is done with a simple
finger stick blood test, and results are available
in 45 seconds," Ms. Reed noted.
Ms. Reed also communicates with patients'
primary care physicians to ensure that all information
regarding patients' conditions is available to
everyone involved in providing care.
"We want to make sure that this issue
is addressed throughout the full spectrum of care,
from before surgery until the patient returns
to their primary care physician," Ms. Reed said.
"We especially focus on the transitions between
levels of care - from hospital to rehab, and from
rehab to home."
"Huntington Hospital is the only
hospital on Long Island to invest the resources
into this comprehensive approach to anticoagulation
management," said James Gurtowski, MD,
Chief of Orthopedics at Huntington. "It speaks
volumes about our commitment to providing joint
replacement patients with the highest standards
of care and safety through our Center for Orthopedics
and Joint Replacement."
For additional information on Huntington
Hospital's Anticoagulation Management Services,
please call (631) 351-2687. |
