[Thrombosis prophylaxis in geriatric patients].

Older, multimorbid patients carry a high risk of suffering from a thromboembolic disease. The incidence of deep vein thrombosis in the outpatient setting is, depending on age, between 71 and 132 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and year. The rates increase significantly in the hospital setting and with increasing age. Today, pharmacological thrombolytic prophylaxis is the gold standard in patients needing surgical and internal medical care and is described in international evidence-based guidelines. However, the percentage of patients, who despite the guidelines do not receive pharmacological thrombolytic prophylaxis, is still very high. This is especially true for the group of multimorbid, very old patients. In the present work, the pathophysiological and clinical background for the increased susceptibility of thromboembolism in geriatric patients is summarized and the drugs currently available for pharmacological thromboembolic prophylaxis are presented. Hereby, special emphasis is placed on aspects of application in the elderly.