Deep Vein Thrombosis Case Study

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a disorder that occurs when a blood clot forms in a vein that is deep inside the body. It is mainly associated with veins in the legs, usually in the lower leg and thigh, but may occur in other parts of the body. About half of the people who have DVT show no symptoms, but people who sit for long periods, are over 60 and smoke are at higher risk, and should be aware of possible signs of a problem.

Annie Coffey is a 72 year old woman that has developed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) due to reduced mobility while on bed rest. This assignment will discuss the signs, symptoms, prevention and management of a DVT and the use of warfarin as long term treatment. The assignment will explain what a DVT is and discuss its potential implications. The nurse’s role in the prevention of DVTs will be discussed in detail as well as the nursing management of Annie. The importance of patient education will be highlighted throughout the assignment and important discharge advice while on warfarin will be explained.

What is an appropriate focused assessment and care to provide a patient with a suspected DVT?

Patient 1: The patient had a stroke and was unresponsive. I am on alert for a DVT due to the patient not being able to move or receive anticoagulants. Also, I was monitoring for signs of infection, respiratory changes, and the skin for pressure sores.

Varicose veins can be an inherited condition due to weaknesses in the vein wall or valves. Other factors which can bring the condition on include pregnancy and being overweight. Although commonly thought to be a cause of varicose veins, occupations involving long periods of standing do not tend to cause the condition, but can aggravate the symptoms.

DVT is easy to treat during pregnancy. Your doctor will refer you to a specialist obstetrician, hematologist (blood specialist) or maternal medicine/obstetric medicine specialist.

Venous thromboembolism refers to the formation of a blood clot in a blood vessel. While clots can form in an artery or a vein, this article focuses only on clots that occur in a vein ("," 2015). Critically ill patients are at an increased risk of a venous thromboembolism (VTE) due to VTE can manifest as a deep venous thrombosis (DVT) or a pulmonary embolism (PE). Risk factors include venous stasis, vascular injury, and hypercoagulable disorders. A majority of ICU patients carry at least one risk factor for VTE; additional risk factors are considered to have a cumulative effect…it is impossible to predict which patients will experience a

Deep vein thrombosis is a type of venous thromboembolism that usually occurs in the legs. 1

S first, because of the worsening back pain, which can be indicative of a potential rupture and therefore be life threatening. The RN would have the UAP take vitals and report within specific parameters to maintain a close watch over Mr. S. This is the only thing the UAP would be able to do within their scope of practice but she would be alleviating the workload. Next, the RN would assess Mr. R who is reporting severe pain due to an arterial ulcer. She would use the universal pain scale and would ask what his pain level is from a 0-10. Depending on his response, the RN would then proceed by administering pain medication depending on the rating of the pain and the physicians order. The RN would then ask the LPN/LVN to administer the pain meds but only if they are PO. If it were an IV pain medication, the RN would have to administer due to the scope of practice. In 2009, Chornick found that the scope of practice for each staff member needs to be clear and delegation needs to be administered to the competent individuals who are able to perform each task according to the current situation. After administering the pain medication, the RN would need to return to Mr. R within 30 minutes to reassess the pain level and make sure the pain had subside. After treating Mr. R, the RN would assist Ms. A by providing teaching of the Doppler study that would be performed and answer any questions she may have prior to the

The patient did not receive standard treatment to prevent the formation of a DVT. What are some possible reasons why this error occurred? The first reason was that the nurses and staff on the floor were so focused on his admitting problem being related to COPD, which caused his respiratory infection, which then caused his kidneys to not function properly. Since his kidneys were not up to par, the staff wanted to make sure that he was not going to go into kidney failure, so that was their number one priority at the time. Secondly, the admitting doctor did not order DVT (deep vein thrombosis) prophylaxis. Based on his thrombosis risk factor assessment, the patient would have scored as a high risk. He should have been placed on sequential compression devices (SCD), and either heparin or lovenox (University of Michigan Health System, n.d.). The most alarming reason was that the nurse did not

Health care workers are obligated to protect their clients through full understanding of nursing-sensitive indicators for aversion of any possible cases of hospital-associated injury or death. If a patient is in more danger than they arrived at the hospital, then a RCA is useful to determine the way forward. A 67-year old male patient presented to the emergency department moaning and complaining of severe pain to his left leg and hip after a fall. The patient’s vital signs are recorded as blood pressure 120/80, heart rate 88, body temperature 98.60F, and respiration 32 and weights of 175 pounds. The pain is severe at 10/10. On assessment it is revealed that the patient is in moderate distress and the left leg seems shortened with calf edema, ecchymosis and has a limited range of motion.

With suspicion of a DVT or PE, I would order the D-dimer with other baseline labs such as CBC and CMP. I would verify with the physician or CT tech that imaging needed to be done with contrast to be of value. I am aware that in some hospitals, the physicians aren’t as involved with the nurses, and discourage the nurses to order or even suggest things to them. But if it was my patient, and I knew the patient wasn’t getting the attention they deserved, it would be my job to advocate for them. If my suggestions to the physician were ignored, I would document thoroughly and inform a supervisor of the

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) happens when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in your body, it usually takes place in your legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause swelling or leg pains, and you may not get any symptoms at all. Deep vein thrombosis can arise if you have certain medical conditions that affect how your blood clots. Deep vein thrombosis can also happen if you don't move for a long time. I can happen sitting in a car for too long, after surgery, following an accident, or when you are confined to a hospital or nursing home bed. DVT is a serious condition because blood clots in your veins can break loose, travel through your bloodstream and lodge in your lungs. It can block the blood flow and cause a pulmonary embolism.

This essay sets out to discuss the importance of comprehensive and accurate assessment on a registered nurses’ ability to make excellent clinical decisions. It will examine what factors can change a nurses’ capability to be aware of, and act on abnormal assessment findings. As well as assessment being part of the nursing process that is used in every day nursing, it is also a critical part of patient safety (Higgins, 2008). Assessment findings are used to determine what needs to be done for the patient next. Early warning scoring systems currently exist to aid in the early detection of patient deterioration (Goldhill, 2005). The rationale for the use of these systems is that early recognition of deterioration in the vital signs of a

The risk factors that were identified by the nurse were the patient complicated medical history, her need for pain medication frequently, being newly transferred from the surgical floor and the confusion it may cause on who will be attending to her care. The nurse also identifies that being on the unit will be an adjustment, therefore she wanted to address safety issues