UHNM amongst top 10 in country for essential aspect of VTE prevention

A nurse at Royal Stoke University Hospital fitting an IPC device

UHNM is helping to take the lead on an essential aspect of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) prevention. 

The trust is ranked amongst the top ten organisations for ensuring patients were fitted with a medical device sleeve during their hospital stay in 2019-20. A device is worn on the lower legs whilst a person is recovering from an illness, such as stroke, or surgery, while in hospital. They play an essential role in the prevention of VTE, a potentially fatal condition where a blood clot can form and travel in the circulatory system.

The team on the acute stroke unit at UHNM have created an enhanced VTE pathway and even introduced a new device alongside a ‘VTE nurse’ role within the healthcare assistants’ team at Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Dr Indira Natarajan, Consultant Stroke Physician at UHNM, said: “We take the risk of VTE very seriously here at UHNM and our new pathway ensures patients admitted to the ward receive the best possible care for preventing VTE.

“In addition to standard of care, which uses a medical device called Intermittent Pneumatic Compression (IPC), we have introduced a therapy called the geko™ device. Both devices act to increase the blood flow in the calf of our stroke patients. Following risk assessment, the relevant device is prescribed for VTE prevention and this is applied by the nurse caring for the patient.

“Quite often patients are not suitable for IPC or can become intolerant of the therapy and even remove the IPC sleeves themselves, meaning they are not then receiving effective VTE prevention care. In this case, patients are offered the geko™ device as an alternative therapy and we serve around 30% of patients with the geko™ device.

“We have trained our staff in relation to the risk of VTE and the importance of ensuring the correct device is chosen, as well as the correct way to apply the device. Our VTE nurses ensure regular checks are carried out and this increases compliance of both devices to maximise intervention and risk reduction.”