DVT – The Facts
DVT affects over 2 million Americans each year
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) is a blood clot, usually in a vein in the lower leg, that can cause severe breathing problems or death if it travels to your lungs.
Need for Prevention at Home
Many factors determine your risk for DVT, but studies show you’re at highest risk five to 10 days after surgery. With today’s shorter hospital stays, that’s most likely when you’re recovering at home, away from the watchful eye of your health care providers. Therefore, it’s vital that life-saving DVT prevention doesn’t end at the time of discharge after surgery — but continues at home throughout your most vulnerable days. Your physician can prescribe DVT prevention that you can use at home, including both mechanical and pharmacological prophylaxis.
Warning Signs
Signs of DVT
- Pain or tenderness in an extremity of groin
- Sudden swelling of the leg
- Noticeably warm skin
- Change in the color of the leg
Signs of Related Pulmonary Embolism (PE)
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain while breathing
- Rapid pulse
- Coughing with blood
- Unexplained anxiety
- Sweating
If you suspect you have DVT, call your surgeon or healthcare provider immediately. If you suspect you have a PE, call 911 or have someone take you to an emergency room.
More Americans die from DVT than breast cancer, AIDS and traffic fatalities — combined.
IPC Vs. NMES
(Intermittent Pneumatic Compression vs. Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation) Your physician can prescribe pre-intra and post-operative treatments — a preventive action taken against DVT — in different ways. NMES uses electrical stimulation on the feet to stimulate blood flow and prevent DVT. It is safe and effective, with no side effects. In addition, StimMed™ has made this type of treatment easy for patients to use at home, with our compact and portable StimSox™.
NMES treatment cuts DVT risk by 99%
Hospital Re-admissions
When a patient must be readmitted to the hospital because of post-surgical DVT, the results can be devastating for everyone involved. Fact is, nearly 50 percent of all DVT cases happen after a patient is discharged.5
Never Events
Medical errors that should not happen are called “never events.” They not only harm patients, but hospitals as well, resulting in costly fines or loss of reimbursement. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have deemed DVT a never event. Still, DVT is the leading cause of preventable hospital deaths.6 Research shows one in 100 patients admitted to a hospital dies because of pulmonary embolism (PE), which is a result of DVT.7 Hospitals and surgical centers can affordably prevent life-threatening DVT never events with StimSox™ from StimMed™.
Cost to Prevent vs. Treat
As with most other diseases, preventing DVT is substantially less expensive than treating its consequences. The cost to diagnose and treat DVT and its effects in the United States is estimated to be as much as $23.8 billion per year.9 According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), DVT treatment costs an average of $50,937 per patient.
HCAHPS Scores
At StimMed™ we recognize the importance of positive patient outcomes, the design of the StimSox™ is to be compact portable and easy to use in the hospital and home setting. Small enough to fit in your shoe, and weighing under a pound, StimSox™ is battery operated to maximize patient’s mobility and comfort. StimMed strives to provide patient compliance and positive patient experiences, while positive hospital consumer assessment of HCAHPS.
