Pharmacotherapy for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and Treatment

Pharmacotherapy for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention And Treatment
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Introduction
Venous thromboembolism, or simply VTE, is the formation of blood clots within the innermost areas of the veins, especially in far-flung parts of the body such as the arm or the leg. Once they form, these clots, through the normal process of blood circulation, find their way to the lungs, where they block some parts of it. It is a severe cardiovascular disease. The disease is often life-threatening due to the severe damage it can cause to the affected organs if proper medical care isn't sought. For patient D. G. who is a 74-year-old African American woman, there is the need for appropriate pharmacotherapy for venous thromboembolism, which can lead to management.
Venous Thromboembolism (VTE)
VTE is a combination of two diseases, Deep Vein Thrombosis, and the Pulmonary Embolism. The formation of the blood clots in the various parts of the body, such as the leg or arm, is what constitutes DVT. On the other hand, when these clots break off the veins and move to the lungs, clogging, and even preventing proper blood supply to the lungs, it is called pulmonary embolism (Taxbro, 2019). Quite typically, the clogging of the lungs is usually a product of clots originating mostly from the thighs than any other part of the body. This makes such types of clots deadlier.
Patients suffering from VTE are usually subject to morbidities that might even last their entire lifetimes. For example, the after-effects of the disease include pulmonary hypertension, which is, in most cases, lifelong. The other one is the post-thrombotic syndrome, which, as the name suggests, is the physical complications that occur after recovery or management of VTE. It often occurs at the part of the body that has been primarily affected by the disease and usually appears as a skin induration, edema, or pain around that area. Sometimes these symptoms can be so severe that an individual loses some normal functioning of the body (Watson, Ong & Cheng, 2018). The syndrome is also lifelong.
The symptoms of VTE are usually quite wide-ranging, from asymptomatic to severe physical shocks. The symptoms include pain and redness of the skin on the affected part of the body. This swelling is often a result of the formation of the clot deep in the vein. There is also difficulty in breathing and chest pains as the clots start clogging the lungs (Wang, 2019). As a result, the patient might even begin to experience irregular heartbeats as the heart tries getting more oxygenated blood from the lungs, which as clogged. In extreme cases, the patient might begin coughing out blood and even fainting. D.G arrives at the healthcare facility complaining about shortness of breath as well as palpitations of the heart, which has gone on for two days. This is a potential symptom of VTE.
Risk Factors and People at Highest Risk
Generally, people who are advanced in age are at the most significant risk, especially adults who are over 60 years of age (Thatchil & Bagot, 2018). While it can affect individuals of any age, it has never occurred on kids. D.G. is 74 years old, which in itself is already a risk factor here. In addition to those who are overweight are also at risk. Blood thickness is also another risk factor, and this is usually a condition that occurs in some people, where their bone marrows produce a higher than average amount of blood cells. Predisposition to other diseases can be a risk too. D.G.'s medical history is laden with several medical problems such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, as well as mild heart failure.
The left heart catheterization and coronary angiography are indicative of severe problems with the heart. Hence, the threat of VTE will only cause further trouble for her already weakened heart. All these conditions automatically predispose her to the risk of VTE (Taxbro, 2019). The state of being inactive, surgery as well as hospitalization is usually one of the biggest causes of VTE. This is because VTE comes about as a result of a significant reduction in the rate of flow of blood or blood circulation in some parts of the body. D.G. has undergone several surgical procedures over the past year, which resulted in her subsequent hospitalization and hence immobilization. She is at prime risk for VTE. For women, the use of hormones is a risk. This is usually the case during pregnancy, or when it comes to the treatment of the symptoms associated with menopause(Thatchil & Bagot,2018).D.G. has not provided any information to do with any of such drugs, while at 60, she is way past the age that women experience menopausal symptoms.
Pharmacotherapy for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and Treatment
1 Specific goals of treatment for D. G.
The main goal in her treatment is to ensure her stability by ensuring she doesn't suffer death through cardiac arrest. After that, there is the need to ensure the fluid balance in her body is optimum, including electrolyte. This can be done through the control of homeostatic processes, which will help in proper urine elimination from the body (Watson, Ong & Cheng, 2018). Of much importance also is to ensure that all her other conditions, such as hypertension, are adequately managed. To this end, there is the need to keep insisting on D.G. on the importance of faithfully taking her medication as prescribed.
2 What drug therapy would you prescribe for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation? Why?
Drugs used for anticoagulation therapy would be the best in this case. There are various prescriptions, such as the use of low molecular weight heparin. Others are vitamin K Antagonists (VKA). However, warfarin is the safest drug for use in this case. This is because it has the lowest rates of internal hemorrhage as well as any kind of intracranial hemorrh...