Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is known to be a preventable event among hospitalized patients. Although thromboprophylaxis can reduce the incidence of VTE in hospitalized patients, it remains underused because of fear of bleeding.1  Mechanical prophylaxis is an effective therapy that uses intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) with sequential compression devices (SCD) and has no risk for bleeding.2  However, researchers also report adherence issues, so the full potential for SCD therapy to reduce VTE remains unknown.

Affecting 350 000 to 600 000 Americans annually,1  VTE is a term used to describe deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolus (PE). VTE is a potentially preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients who are at increased risk because of surgery, prolonged immobilization, use of certain medications, and presence of other conditions such as obesity, heart failure, and cancer. VTE is estimated to be among the most common preventable causes of...

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