NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Monday launched a hospital-based registry to identify risks, treatment and the prevalence of Venous Thromboembolic (VTE) Disorder, also known as blood clots in veins, a potentially life-threatening condition, in the country.
The exercise will help plan a quick response to VTE and strengthen the healthcare facilities, said Dr Nabendu Chatterjee, head of the Basic Medical Sciences Division and National Coordinator of the registry.
According to ICMR, without treatment, VTE can restrict or block blood flow and oxygen, which can damage the body’s tissue or organs. It is quoted as a significant health problem and one of the most common preventable causes of hospital deaths.
It is the third leading vascular diagnosis after heart attack and stroke. The most common triggers for VTE are surgery, cancer, immobilisation and hospitalisation.
As VTE has rarely evoked much consideration in India, it continues to be under-diagnosed and undertreated, Chatterjee said.
“There is no national registry which captures the national data on VTE. If we have to do better management, we need to know the background, the reason a patient suffered from the disease,” he said.
Chatterjee said the aim is to establish a nationwide surveillance network through selected 16 tertiary government hospitals in the country and collect data for generating evidence on VTE prevalence.
The data will help in planning responses and help in strengthening healthcare facilities for treating the disease.
Said Dr Heena Tabassum, Scientist D and Principal Investigator of the project, that apart from identifying the risk factors for VTE disease, the registry will help in guiding policy on the disease.
“There is no uniform strategy of diagnosis and treatment available for VTE. We have come up with this data portal,” she said, adding, “We will then be able to come out with a uniform guideline on management of this condition.”
“There is no data at the moment, but VTE is happening significantly. So it will help us understand what steps can be taken at the hospital level to minimise it.”