Thromboembolic Prophylaxis After Partial or Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

Venous thromboembolic disease includes a wide spectrum of asymptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) to severe pulmonary embolism (PE). PE is the most common preventable cause of hospital mortality. The comprehensive protocols of VTE (venous thromboembolism) prophylaxis after knee arthroplasty significantly reduced the incidence of symptomatic PE. The incidence of PE associated with VTE following knee arthroplasty is now reported as 0.4% [1, 2]. Due to these lethal problems of thromboembolism, routine thromboprophylaxis is recommended after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) [3-5]. However, the most appropriate procedure for VTE prophylaxis is still controversial. In the absence of VTE prophylaxis after TKA, the incidence of DVT is reported as 47%. In this case, TKA is in the highest risk group [6]. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2022.