Venous thromboembolism (VTE), consisting of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is estimated to affect over one million people in the EU each year. With over 540,000 VTE-related deaths estimated per year in Europe, VTE represents a signifi cant health concern. A study carried out in six European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden and the UK) estimated the occurrence of over 460,000 cases of DVT and nearly 300,000 cases of non-fatal PE each year [1]. Two large community-based studies carried out in France and Sweden estimated the incidence of VTE to be approximately 160–180 per 100,000 population [2, 3]. Although slightly lower incidences have been reported in the United States [4, 5], it remains the third leading cause of cardiovascular death after myocardial infarction and stroke [6]. An estimated two million patients develop DVT each year in the United States and an estimated 600,000 develop PE, 10% of which are fatal [7].As well as the short-term consequences, VTE is also associated with longer-term consequences such as recurrent events and the post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS). A prospective cohort study assessing the clinical course of 528 patients with symptomatic DVT in Italy found that nearly one-fi fth of patients experienced a recurrent event. The cumulative incidence of recurrent VTE after 2, 5 and 8 years was 17.2, 24.3 and 29.7%, respectively, and the cumulative incidence of PTS after 2, 5 and 8 years was 24.5, 29.6 and 29.8%, respectively [8]. Similar rates of the PTS have been reported in patients with venographically detected VTE in the postoperative period [9].