VTE Incidence and Risk Factors in Patients With Severe Sepsis and Septic Shock

Prospective studies on the incidence of VTE during severe sepsis and septic shock remain absent, hindering efficacy assessments regarding current VTE prevention strategies in septic patients. The investigators will prospectively study consecutively enrolled ICU patients with severe sepsis and septic shock admitted at three hospitals. All patients will provide informed consent and the study will be IRB approved. VTE thromboprophylaxis, provided per standard of care and according to the patients' primary team, will be recorded for all patients. Patients will undergo bilateral lower (and upper, if a central venous catheter [CVC] was present) comprehensive compression ultrasonography (CUS) and will be followed for symptomatic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) prior to discharge. The investigators will perform multivariate regression analyses to identify predictors of VTE.