Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis: a survey of its use in the United States
S. Conti and M. Daschbach
Despite controversy about their effectiveness, low-dose heparin therapy and
elastic stockings were the methods most frequently selected by surgeons in
a national survey on thromboembolism prophylaxis. These methods were
selected even for patients with an extremely high risk of thrombosis.
Surgeons responding to this survey apparently did not discriminate between
degrees of patient risk, did not recognize the limitations of low-dose
heparin and elastic stockings in protecting high-risk patients, and were
unfamiliar with more effective methods of prophylaxis, ie, warfarin,
dextran, and intermittent pneumatic compression. There is clearly a need
for more specific data regarding the safe use of effective thromboembolism
prophylaxis in surgical patients.
