Venous thromboembolism prophylactic methods in acute stroke patients – current state of knowledge

Abstract

Deep venous thrombosis (DVT) and its sequel, pulmonary embolism (PE), are serious complications of stroke. There are pharmacological and physical methods to prevent these complications. The authors review the literature and present the current state of knowledge regarding the effectiveness of each of the DVT and PE prevention methods in stroke patients and cite current Polish, European and American recommendations regarding this issue. Heparins are the method of choice for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in both ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke patients.