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SCREENING FOR DEEP-VENOUS THROMBOSIS AFTER HIP AND KNEE REPLACEMENT WITHOUT PROPHYLAXIS

¹ Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
² Department of Radiology, Glenfield Hospital NHS Trust, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QP, UK.

Correspondence should be sent to Mr M. T. Clarke at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 2QQ, UK.

We performed routine venography after operation in a consecutive series of 252 patients with total joint arthroplasties in whom no form of routine chemical or mechanical prophylaxis had been used.

The prevalence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) was 32% (16% distal, 16% proximal) after total hip replacement and 66% (50% distal, 16% proximal) after total knee replacement (p < 0.001). We did not treat distal DVT. There were only two readmissions within three months of surgery because of thromboembolic disease. There were two deaths within this period, neither of which was due to pulmonary embolism.