Deep vein thrombosis resident survival guide

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1];Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Abdurahman Khalil, M.D. [2]

Overview

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is the formation of a blood clot ("thrombus") in a deep vein.

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

Pulmonary embolism is a life-threatening condition and must be treated as such irrespective of the underlying cause.

Common Causes

• Blood clot
• Air bubble
• Fragment of a tumor
• Fragment of fat (secondary to bone fracture)
• Talc in IV drug abusers
• Amniotic fluid

FIRE: Focused Initial Rapid Evaluation

A Focused Initial Rapid Evaluation (FIRE) should be performed to identify patients in need of immediate intervention.