Abstract

A prospective study of the prevalence of proximal deep venous thrombosis in total knee replacement patients who had prophylaxis for thrombosis with a combination of low-dose warfarin and intermittent pneumatic compression was done. Two hundred and ninety-seven patients who underwent 377 consecutive total knee replacements were studied. All patients were treated with low-dose warfarin and intermittent pneumatic compression using thigh-high sleeves. Surveillance for proximal thrombosis was done by duplex ultrasonography. Proximal thrombosis was detected in 19 patients, for a prevalence of 5%. There were 3 patients who had a major bleeding complication, for a prevalence of 0.9% for the 337 procedures performed. Although there was no concurrent control group of patients treated with another means of prophylaxis to compare with these patients, the low prevalence of proximal thrombosis and the low risk of major bleeding complications that was found compares well with recent reports on the effectiveness and safety of low-molecular-weight heparin.

View details for PubMedID 9586729