Venous thromboembolism: what is preventing achievement of performance measures and consensus guidelines?

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of death and disability throughout the world. Evidenced-based guidelines and performance measures aimed at prevention of VTE have existed for over a decade, yet VTE occurrence rate appears to be increasing. This increase may, in part, be due to more aggressive surveillance; however, noncompliance with guideline recommendations for prophylaxis is a concern.

Vascular age: integrating carotid intima-media thickness measurements with global coronary risk assessment.

Background: An imaging test that quantifies atherosclerotic burden and that can be integrated with existing risk stratification paradigms would be a very useful clinical tool.

Hypothesis: Measurement of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT) is feasible in a clinical setting. Such measurements can be integrated into coronary risk assessment models.