The clotting condition, called venous thromboembolism (VTE) involves the formation of blood clots in a vein. This can cause serious problems such as blockage of blood vessels in the leg (deep vein thrombosis) or a pulmonary embolism, the blockage of a lung artery. Studies have linked pulmonary embolism to up to 10 percent of in-hospital sudden deaths.

VTE may be a bigger threat to hospitalized Americans than once thought, the new study shows.

"We looked at 38 million discharges in a data base for U.S. hospitals and found that about one of every three people in a hospital bed in the United States arguably should be protected against VTE because they have a risk," said lead researcher Dr. Frederick A. Anderson Jr., director of the Center for Outcomes Research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

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