Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a clinical entity which includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). VTE is a common medical condition affecting up to 117 patients per 100,000 population annually.1 The diagnosis of VTE is often difficult and frequently missed. Mortality in untreated PE is approximately 30%, but with adequate anticoagulant treatment, this can be reduced to 2–8%. The purpose of this Newsletter is to focus on the diagnosis and treatment of VTE, including PE and DVT in the emergency department (ED). In this EMCREG-International Newsletter, Dr. Charles Cairns, Associate Professor of Surgery and Medicine and Associate Chief of Emergency Medicine at the Duke University School of Medicine discusses the important disease process venous thromboembolism (VTE) which includes deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism from the perspective of emergency medicine.