Dicumarol Prophylaxis of Thromboembolic Disease in Congestive Heart Failure

WITHIN the past decade the medical profession has become keenly aware of the danger of thromboembolic disease. First considered to be largely a postoperative complication, this condition is now realized to be actually more prevalent among medical patients.1 Over half these patients suffer from heart disease, particularly congestive failure.2 Routine autopsies on patients in the middle to older age groups have revealed a rather staggering incidence of thrombosis. Rössle3 and Hunter et al.4 report an incidence of 27.0 and 52.7 per cent respectively of thrombophlebitis. These deep thrombi are without question responsible for the great majority of pulmonary emboli.Why . . .