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Venous thromboembolism remains an important cause of morbidity and mortality for surgical and non-surgical patients, and its pathophysiology in acutely ill, non-surgical patients is not well understood. The clinically silent nature of thromboembolism makes it a significant threat to hospital patients.

Recent clinical studies have confirmed that acutely ill medical patients are at substantial risk of venous thromboembolism, which can be reduced by thromboprophylaxis with low molecular weight heparin. These studies have resulted in approval of a low molecular weight heparin (enoxaparin) for the prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism in medical patients bedridden as a result of acute illness.

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an important cause of mortality and morbidity and its prevention is an everyday concern for clinicians. The major consequences of VTE are sudden death as a result of pulmonary embolism (PE) and the long-term problem of post-thrombotic syndrome. Evidence shows that acute VTE is associated with higher mortality than previously estimated, with up to 30% of patients with acute PE dying within 30 days of diagnosis (Heit, 2002).