Lifeblood is committed to the prevention of VTE and, where already present, its early diagnosis and effective treatment. prevention, diagnosis and treatment should be undertaken using, wherever possible, evidence based methods. Thrombosis has been – and remains – a major cause of death in the United Kingdom yet astonishingly, this fact is not widely known. Most people have little or no understanding about the causes and effects of thrombosis, and how it can be prevented. Every year, an estimated 25,000 people in the UK would die from venous thrombosis (also called venous thromboembolism or VTE) contracted in hospital -hospital-acquired clots, if thrombosis prevention is not given. Most people affected by thrombosis are older, but anyone can suffer from thrombosis, occasionally even children and babies.