In an earlier Mishkind Kulwicki Law blog post, I spoke about new guidelines for the prevention of pulmonary embolism published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). Here are new, more detailed guidelines published by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP). The ACCP includes those physicians, pulmonologists and critical care specialists, who specializes in caring for patients with, or at risk for, pulmonary embolism (PE).
Periodically, the ACCP publishes guidelines for management of PE, and conditions that cause PE like deep vein thrombosis (DVT). The current set of guidelines is the Ninth Consensus, reflecting that the guidelines are the product of studies and practices of some of the best physicians in the field. These physicians recognize that careful screening of patient for risks factors associated with PE allows preventive measures to be taken to prevent PE from ever occurring.
These detailed guidelines reflect the breadth of risk associated with PE. The risk for PE is prevalent with virtually every significant surgery (orthopedic, spinal, dental, gynecologic, etc.) and with many other medical conditions (e.g., cancer). As such, it is critical for doctors from many specialties to get acquainted with these guidelines in order to promote patient safety.
