Risk of venous thromboembolism in patients hospitalized with heart failure.

Because of uncertainty about the prevalence of pulmonary embolism (PE) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in hospitalized patients with congestive heart failure (CHF), data from the National Hospital Discharge Survey were investigated. Among hospitalized patients with CHF, PE was diagnosed in 0.73% and DVT in 1.03%. The relative risk for PE in patients with CHF compared with patients with no CHF was 2.15; for DVT, it was 1.21. The relative risk for PE in patients with CHF was greatest in patients <40 years of age (relative risk 11.72), and the relative risk for DVT was 5.46. In conclusion, a high relative risk for PE, DVT, and venous thromboembolism was shown in patients with CHF who were <60 years of age.