Prophylaxes for DVT 'not usually needed after knee replacements'

Not all patients need deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolus (PE) prophylaxes following knee replacement surgery, research has found.

A new study published in Orthopedics Today has found that there were few events of this type following the operation, although certain classes of patient were at a higher risk.

Dr Gregory Maletis, author of the study, advises medical professionals not to routinely use or recommend these prophylaxes unless an existing history or high risk factors are present.

He said: "In patients with a prior history of DVT or PE we prefer to use adjunctive chemoprophylaxis."

A cohort of 20,950 patients was examined in the course of the study and a total of 0.25 per cent experienced DVT within 90 days of knee replacement surgery, with PE noted in 0.17 per cent of cases.

The Health Page's Dr Stefan Tarlow recently claimed that patients undergoing minimally-invasive surgery have a better post-operative experience.

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