A study on pediatric blood clots conducted by IWK Health was recently released.
Researchers at the IWK are calling for a nationwide standard screening tool in an effort to reduce the instance of potentially dangerous blood clots from forming after pediatric surgeries. Venous Thromboembolism, (VTE) a term referring to blood clots in the veins is a rare but potentially life threating complication. Dr. Ron El-Hawary says providing nationwide guidelines for the prevention of this complication, should reduce the risk of post operative blood clots.
“VTE is one of the major and upcoming challenges facing the pediatric population.” says Dr. Ketan Kulkarni IWK hematologist and Principal Investigator. “Children are not adults, however and adult protocols are not applicable to pediatric and adolescent populations. We developed a novel algorithm for screening for the risk of VTE in ortho surgical patients and led to a 50 per cent reduction in the use of Thromboprophylaxis with no increase in VTE.” Thromboprophylaxis is a medical procedure used to prevent the development of thrombosis.
The screening tool is easy to use and can be administered bedside before and after surgery by any healthcare provider, thousands of patients could benefit each year.
IWK Health is the Maritimes leading health care and research centre dedicated to the well-being of woman, children, youth and families.
