DVT prophylaxis can be primary or secondary. Primary prophylaxis is preferred, using medications and mechanical methods to prevent DVT. Secondary prophylaxis is a less commonly used method that includes early detection with screening methods and the treatment of subclinical DVT. In acutely ill hospitalized medical patients, the panel recommends inpatient over inpatient plus extended duration outpatient VTE prophylaxis (strong recommendation, moderate certainty). Despite appropriate DVT prophylaxis, surgical patients may still develop both DVT and PE. A 2014 case-control study identified five independent predictors of in-hospital DVT despite chemoprophylaxis. Hospitalization for acute medical illness is an important opportunity for applying prevention efforts. These guidelines address methods to prevent VTE in hospitalized and non-hospitalized medical patients and long-distance travelers. Access the full guidelines on the Blood Advances website: Treatment to prevent deep venous thrombosis is required for patients who are bedbound with major illness and/or those undergoing certain surgical procedures. Early mobilization, leg elevation, and an anticoagulant are the recommended preventive measures; patients who should not receive anticoagulants may benefit from intermittent pneumatic compression devices or elastic stockings. This article explores DVT prophylaxis and outlines symptoms and treatments for DVT. The mainstay of therapy for DVT is anticoagulation, provided there is no absolute contraindication or prohibitively high bleeding risk. Thrombolysis or interventional therapy is occasionally needed. In response to this, an updated literature search on prophylaxis for medical patients who were hospitalized and those who were not hospitalized was carried out. The purpose of this article is to report the main findings from this updated literature search. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis consists of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic measures to diminish the risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). It is estimated that over one-half of hospitalized medical patients are at risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE; ie, deep vein thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolus) [1]. In addition, it is widely believed that PE is the most common preventable cause of hospital death [2-8].