Venous thromboembolism (VTE) including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) represent a large clinical and economic burden on health systems everywhere. A VTE refers to a blood clot that starts in a vein while a DVT is a clot in a deep vein, usually in the leg. Sometimes a clot can travel to your lungs. This is called pulmonary embolism (PE) and it can be life-threatening if it blocks blood flow.

VTEs and DVTs may occur in association with acquired risk factors, such as increasing age, surgery, oral contraceptives, trauma, immobility, obesity, or cancer. It is estimated that there are approximately 17,000 VTEs in Australia per year.[1] In the USA alone, the annual costs for managing DVT are in excess of $8 billion, with an average annual cost per treated individual of approximately $20,000.[2]

Current approaches for the detection of DVT (ultrasound and blood tests) are expensive and inconvenient. Kynetyka’s DVTect technology is being designed to provide a fast, cost-effective test, administered at point-of-care like the bedside, which would transform the triaging and management of patients at risk of DVT. The prevention of venous thrombo-embolism (VTE) - the most common preventable cause of in-hospital death (accounting for 7% of all hospital deaths[3]) – is considered a quality-improvement priority in hospitals.