Question reference: S5W-35488
- Asked by: Brian Whittle, MSP for South Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
- Date lodged: 25 February 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jeane Freeman on 11 March 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government how many episodes of venous thromboembolism (VTE) occurred between 1 April 2020 and 1 December 2020, also broken down by how many were associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Answer
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is not recorded as a single separate diagnosis and represents a range of conditions. VTE is likely to be the underlying condition in almost all cases with a recorded diagnosis of pulmonary embolism. Some, though not all, cases with the diagnosis ‘phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities’ are associated with VTE, particularly where the site is the deep veins of the leg.
The number of hospital stays in NHS Scotland with a recorded diagnosis of pulmonary embolism or with ‘phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities’ for the time period 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2020 are shown in the following table. (Data for the period up to December 2020 will be available from 25 May 2021.) It is not possible to say how many of these episodes were specifically related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Venous thromboembolism may occur at many sites other than the lower extremities, including the portal, renal and cerebral circulations, but these cases are not included here.
Table: Number of hospital stays for pulmonary embolism and for ‘phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities’* (without mention of pulmonary embolism) in NHS Scotland, 1 April 2020 to 30 September 2020.
Pulmonary embolism ** | Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities, without a diagnosis of pulmonary embolism * | |
Stays | 2,821 | 1,140 |
* includes phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral, deep or unspecified vessels of the lower extremities (ICD10 I80.1, I80.2, I80.3)
** based on ICD10 code I26
Source: Public Health Scotland, SMR01
Extracted: March 2021