Introduction: Little information exists about the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in patients affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) admitted for acute exacerbation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the prevalence of DVT in COPD patients, using complete venous ultrasonography (US) as a screening tool.
Material and methods: One hundred patients with mild to moderate COPD admitted for exacerbation were consecutively included. All patients underwent clinical evaluation, chest radiography, electrocardiogram, spirometry, blood gases, laboratory testing, and complete venous US to detect DVT.
Results: Overall 6 (6%) DVT were detected. Three (3%) were proximal, 3 (3%) affected the distal veins. Five out of the 6 patients with DVT were symptomatic. All patients with DVT received anticoagulant treatment for 3-6 months.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that subjects with exacerbation of mild to moderate COPD are at low risk of DVT.