 |
Of all VTE, 10%
of patients will die within the first hour. These patients generally die suddenly or
outside the hospital setting. The risk of untreated VTE has been assessed in only one
randomised study in the 1960s. This study exclusively used clinical diagnosis.
Nevertheless, the results were rather shocking, with a 30% mortality rate from recurrent
VTE and a further 30% suffering non-fatal recurrences. Apart from non-fatal recurrence,
it is generally believed that recurrent VTE increases the chance of developing pulmonary
hypertension and post-thrombotic syndrome. |
