A total of 124 patients were admitted with a primary diagnosis of exacerbation of CHF or COPD during the study period (Table 1). Of these, 67 were excluded, most because of active anticoagulation before or at the time of admission to hospital. The demographic characteristics and risk factors of the 57 patients included in the [...]

Educational interventions were conducted in November 2001 in conjunction with 2 physicians (R.M., a respirologist, and M.B., an internal medicine specialist) and consisted of written memos sent to all physicians, nurse clinicians, and pharmacists and presentations at departmental and committee meetings (e.g., meetings of hospital department heads, family practice and internal medicine departments, the Pharmacy [...]

INTRODUCTION The incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is predicted to escalate as the population ages, and com­plications of VTE, such as pulmonary emboli, are a signif­icant cause of in-hospital morbidity and mortality. It has been reported that 10% of the deaths observed in hospitals are related to pulmonary embolism and that 75% of these deaths [...]