Current prevention practice for venous thromboembolism in Japanese intensive care units

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a well-recognized life-threatening complication in the intensive care unit (ICU). However, no data have been reported regarding the prevalence and methods of prevention of VTE in Japanese ICUs. This study aimed to document the current practice of VTE prevention across a broad sample of medical-surgical ICU patients in Japan. In November 2010, we performed a point-prevalence survey of Japanese ICUs in training facilities for intensive care specialists. We recorded data from five consecutive ICU patients in each facility at any time on the day of the survey. A total of 470 patients were registered in this study. VTE prophylaxis was received by 85.3 % of participants. Of these, 69.8 % received mechanical prophylaxis and 12.5 % received pharmacological methods, with 17.7 % receiving both methods. Analyzing a comparison of the presence or absence of a hospital prevention protocol, the protocol group had higher rates of receiving prophylaxis (88.8 % vs. 80.0 %, P < 0.01) than the no-protocol group. In conclusion, VTE prophylaxis by mechanical methods was the main method in a high number of medical-surgical ICU patients in Japan. The ICUs with a hospital VTE prevention protocol in place performed significantly higher rates of prophylaxis than those without a protocol.