VENOUS THROMBOEMBOLISM Figure 1. Flow Diagram of Literature Search Results
Evidence Review
A medical librarian conducted a systematic search of the data- bases Ovid MEDLINE®, EBSCO CINAHL®, Scopus®, and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The search was limited to literature published in English from 2011 through April 2016. A second search of the same databases was per- formed using the same topics as in the initial search for litera- ture published from 2016 to March 2017. The lead author requested additional articles that either did not fit the origi- nal search criteria or were discovered during the evidence appraisal process. The lead author and the medical librarian also identified relevant guidelines from government agencies, professional organizations, and standards-setting bodies. Search terms included subject headings such as operat- ing rooms, venous thrombosis, thromboembolism, compression
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garments, intermittent pneumatic compression, risk factors, Caprini, prophylaxis, foot inflation device, and thromboprophy- laxis. Additional keywords and phrases included the names of relevant pharmaceuticals. Included were research and non-research literature in
English, complete publications, and publication dates within the time restriction when available. Excluded were non-peer- reviewed publications, older evidence within the time restric- tion when more recent evidence was available, research con- ducted in nonsurgical patient populations (eg, stroke, critical care), and research on mechanical prophylaxis for indications other than prevention of VTE (eg, pain control, lymphedema, ischemia). Editorials, news items, and other brief items were excluded. Lower-level and lower-quality evidence was excluded when higher-quality evidence was available, and literature outside the time restriction was excluded when
