Anticoagulant treatment of thromboembolism with intravenous heparin therapy in the early postoperative period following total joint arthroplasty

BACKGROUND: Treatment of thromboembolism with intravenous heparin therapy in the early postoperative period after total joint arthroplasty has been associated with a high rate of complications. The purpose of the present study was to compare the rate of bleeding complications in a group of patients who required intravenous heparin therapy for the treatment of thromboembolism after total hip or knee arthroplasty with the rate in a control group of patients who received only prophylactic anticoagulation. METHODS: The postoperative courses of forty-four consecutive patients who were managed with intravenous administration of heparin and oral administration of warfarin for the treatment of a thromboembolic event following unilateral total hip or knee arthroplasty were compared with those of a control group of 376 consecutive patients who had these same procedures but did not have a thromboembolic complication. The patients in the control group were managed with prophylactic anticoagulation with use of enoxaparin. Sixty-eight percent (thirty) of the forty-four patients in the heparin group received the initial dose of heparin on or before the fourth postoperative day, and 82 percent (thirty-six) received an initial bolus of 5000 units of heparin at the initiation of therapy. RESULTS: The rate of bleeding complications was 9 percent (four of forty-four) in the heparin group, compared with 6 percent (twenty-three of 376) in the control group (p = 0.44). The mean transfusion requirement in the heparin group (1.8 units of packed red blood cells) was significantly greater than that in the control group (0.8 unit) (p < 0.0001). Three of the four patients who had a bleeding complication while receiving heparin and warfarin had coagulation parameters that were substantially higher than recommended levels. The mean duration of hospitalization in the heparin group (fifteen days) was significantly longer than that in the control group (seven days) (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study suggest that the use of intravenous heparin therapy for the treatment of thromboembolism in the early postoperative period after total joint arthroplasty is associated with a rate of bleeding complications that is similar to that associated with the use of prophylactic anticoagulation with use of enoxaparin alone. One should expect an increased transfusion requirement and a longer duration of hospitalization for patients who require intravenous heparin therapy for the treatment of a thromboembolic event.     

Low-dose heparin for prevention of venous thromboembolism in total hip arthroplasty and surgical repair of hip fractures.

Sixty-seven hip-arthroplasty and fifty-two hip-fracture patients participated in a placebo-controlled randomized double-blind study on the effects of low-dose heparin prophylaxis in the prevention of venous thromboembolism. In this study, a positive thromboembolic event meant a positive test by: (1) daily 125I-fibrinogen scanning, (2) contrast venography on the tenth postoperative day, or (3) radionuclide perfusion lung scan in confirmation of suspected clinical pulmonary emboli. Nineteen (59.4 per cent) of thirty-two placebo-treated arthroplasty patients showed evidence of a thromboembolic event in contrast with eight (22.9 per cent) of thirty-five heparin-treated patients (p less than 0.003). Heparin-treated arthroplasty patients required mean blood transfusions of 4.7 units, contrasted with a mean 3.2-unit transfusion requirement for placebo-treated patients (p less than 0.05). The incidence of observed bleeding complications was higher among the heparin-treated patients. Of the twenty-three placebo-treated patients with fracturs, 39.1 per cent had a thromboembolic event, while 41.4 per cent of the twenty-nine who received heparin showed evidence of thromboembolism, demonstrating that low-dose heparin afforded no protection, nor did it affect the incidence of bleeding complications or transfusion requirements in fracture patients.     

Prevention of venous thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty. Antithrombin III and low-dose heparin compared with dextran 40

The anticoagulant action of heparin is mediated through antithrombin III, and the postoperative decrease in the plasma concentration of antithrombin III may contribute to the relative ineffectiveness of prophylaxis with low-dose heparin in preventing venous thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty. We conducted a prospective, randomized trial to compare the effectiveness of a regimen of antithrombin III, given intravenously once daily, and low-dose heparin with a regimen of dextran 40, given intravenously, in preventing venographically documented venous thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty. The results demonstrated an incidence of venous thrombosis of 4.9 per cent in patients who received antithrombin III and heparin; this was significantly lower than the incidence (28.6 per cent) in patients who received dextran 40 (p less than 0.005). Venous thrombosis occurred only in patients who had total hip arthroplasty with a cemented prosthesis (fourteen of fifty-seven patients, or 24.6 per cent); none of the twenty-six patients in whom a non-cemented prosthesis was used had venous thrombosis (p less than 0.01). Of the patients in whom a cemented prosthesis had been inserted, the incidence of venous thrombosis was lower in those who were treated with antithrombin III and heparin (7.4 per cent) than in those who were treated with dextran 40 (40 per cent) (p less than 0.005). Postoperative levels of antithrombin III were maintained at more than 90 per cent of the baseline level in patients who received it; this was significantly higher than in patients who received dextran 40.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Complications of anticoagulation for thromboembolism in early postoperative total joint arthroplasty

In the study reported here, we analyzed the complications associated with anticoagulation in total joint arthroplasty patients treated for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the early postoperative period. Twenty-nine consecutive cases from a 1-year period were identified and retrospectively reviewed. VTE treatment, which in most instances (79%) consisted of a heparin drip, was begun a mean of 2.3 days after surgery. Patients received a mean (SD) of 4.4 (5.0) units of packed red blood cells. There were no differences in bleeding parameters with respect to timing of initiation of anticoagulation. Local and systemic bleeding complications were common. The proportion of patients who were transfused was significantly (P<.0001) higher for VTE patients than for control patients, and transfused VTE patients received significantly (P = .0004) more blood products. In total joint arthroplasty patients, VTE treatment began 2.3 days after surgery and had a high incidence of complications related to bleeding.     

Two-stage reconstruction of a total hip arthroplasty because of infection

From 1969 to 1985, eighty-one patients (eighty-two hips) who had an infection after a previous total hip arthroplasty were treated with a resection arthroplasty, followed by delayed reconstruction in the form of a repeat total hip arthroplasty. For all of the reconstructions, the femoral and acetabular components were fixed to bone with cement that did not contain antibiotics. An average of 5.5 years (range, 2.0 to 13.6 years) after reimplantation, infection had recurred in eleven hips (13 per cent). The presence of retained cement at the time of the resection arthroplasty appeared to be associated with recurrent sepsis, as three of seven patients who had retained cement had a recurrent infection, compared with only eight (11 per cent) of seventy-five patients from whom the cement had been completely removed (p less than 0.01). The twenty-six patients (twenty-six hips) who had the reimplantation less than one year after the resection arthroplasty had seven recurrent infections (27 per cent), while the fifty-six patients who had reimplantation more than one year after the resection arthroplasty had only four recurrences (7 per cent) (p less than 0.001). Three of the seven patients in whom the infection was caused by gram-negative bacilli and group-D streptococcal organisms (which are considered highly virulent) and who received systemic antimicrobial therapy for less than twenty-eight days had a recurrence. In contrast, only one of the thirteen patients in whom the infection was caused by a virulent organism and who were treated for longer than twenty-eight days had a recurrence (p = 0.055). The two-stage reconstruction is an effective, safe technique even when the infection is caused by a virulent organism.     

Comparison of enoxaparin and warfarin for the prevention of venous thromboembolic disease after total hip arthroplasty. Evaluation during hospitalization and three months after discharge.

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolic disease in the form of deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism is a major risk after a total hip arthroplasty. Enoxaparin, a low-molecular-weight heparin, has been shown to reduce the prevalence of deep venous thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty. Warfarin, an orally administered anticoagulant, has been used historically to reduce the risk of deep venous thrombosis after total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: We compared enoxaparin and adjusted-dose warfarin with respect to their safety and their efficacy in the prevention of clinically important venous thromboembolic disease, defined as distal or proximal deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, or both, during hospitalization after total hip arthroplasty. We also evaluated the prevalence of complications and mortality from venous thromboembolic disease within three months after discharge. RESULTS: Three thousand and eleven patients at 156 centers were randomly assigned to prophylactic treatment with injection of enoxaparin or oral administration of adjusted-dose warfarin during hospitalization. During the study, fifty-five (3.6 percent) of the 1516 patients who were managed with enoxaparin and fifty-six (3.7 percent) of the 1495 patients who were managed with warfarin had venous thromboembolic disease. Twenty-one patients (0.7 percent), which included four (0.3 percent) of those managed with enoxaparin and seventeen (1.1 percent) of those managed with warfarin (p = 0.0083), had venous thromboembolic disease during hospitalization. After discharge from the hospital, venous thromboembolic disease developed in ninety patients (3.0 percent): fifty-one (3.4 percent) of those managed with enoxaparin and thirty-nine (2.6 percent) of those managed with warfarin. One patient who had been managed with enoxaparin died because of a pulmonary embolism, which was confirmed at autopsy. Three additional patients (one who had been managed with enoxaparin and two who had been managed with warfarin) died, and the deaths were attributed to venous thromboembolic disease; however, no autopsies were performed. Twenty-six patients (0.9 percent) (eighteen managed with enoxaparin and eight managed with warfarin) had clinically important bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient programs providing treatment with either enoxaparin (thirty milligrams every twelve hours) or adjusted-dose warfarin for a mean of 7.3 days afforded protection against venous thromboembolic disease, with overall rates of morbidity and mortality of 3.7 and 0.6 percent, respectively, and a very low rate of major bleeding complications (0.9 percent) for three months after total hip arthroplasty. During hospitalization, the patients managed with enoxaparin had a lower rate of venous thromboembolic disease than those managed with adjusted-dose warfarin (p = 0.0083). This benefit was lost after the medication was discontinued, with no difference in the prevalences of venous thromboembolic disease between the two groups at three months after discharge from the hospital.     

Intrahepatic hemorrhage after use of low-molecular-weight heparin for total hip arthroplasty

Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) has become a popular agent for prophylaxis against deep vein thrombosis and thromboembolic disease after total joint arthroplasty. LMWH allows for consistent dosing in postoperative patients without the need for laboratory monitoring. Hemorrhage is an uncommon but documented adverse reaction when using LMWH; however, intrahepatic hemorrhage has not been previously reported in conjunction with LMWH therapy. We report the case of a woman who suffered intrahepatic hemorrhage presenting with acute abdominal pain and vomiting after the use of enoxaparin for total hip arthroplasty.     

The effect of intraoperative intravenous fixed-dose heparin during total joint arthroplasty on the incidence of fatal pulmonary emboli

All patients who underwent primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA), revision TKA, primary total hip arthroplasty (THA), and revision THA between January 1, 1990, and December 31, 1996, were retrospectively reviewed to determine the incidence of fatal pulmonary emboli. All TKA patients received 1,000 U of intravenous heparin sodium before the tourniquet was inflated and an additional 500 U of intravenous heparin sodium before the inflation of the second tourniquet during bilateral TKA. All THA patients received 1,000 U of intravenous heparin sodium at the time of the skin incision and 500 U of intravenous heparin sodium before preparation of the femoral canal. The overall incidence of fatal pulmonary emboli was extremely low (TKA, 0.096%; THA, 0.16%). With this regimen of intravenous intraoperative heparin, postoperative aspirin, thromboembolic disease hose, and early ambulation, there is no risk of postoperative bleeding, it is inexpensive, and there is no concern on how long to keep the patients on this regimen postoperatively. We recommend this regimen for the prevention of fatal pulmonary emboli after total joint arthroplasty.     

Risk of bleeding associated with use of systemic thromboembolic prophylaxis during laparoscopic cholecystectomy

Background: The extent to which systemic perioperative thromboembolic prophylaxis affects peroperative and postoperative bleeding during cholecystectomy is not known. This article reports on risk of bleeding in a national cohort of cholecystectomies. Methods: All cholecystectomies registered in the Swedish Register of Gallstone Surgery and Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography (GallRiks) between 2005 and 2010 were reviewed. Peroperative bleeding was defined as bleeding that could not be controlled by standard surgical techniques, necessitated conversion to an open procedure or required peroperative blood transfusion. Postoperative bleeding was defined as bleeding that necessitated reoperation, transfusion or a prolonged hospital stay. Risk estimates were performed using univariable and multiple logistic regression, and reported as odds ratios (ORs). Results: A total of 51 621 procedures were registered in GallRiks. Some 48 010 patients were included in the analyses, of whom 21 259 (44·3 per cent) received thromboembolic prophylaxis. Peroperative bleeding complications occurred in 400 (1·9 per cent) and postoperative bleeding in 296 (1·4 per cent) given thromboembolic prophylaxis, compared with 189 (0·7 per cent) and 195 (0·7 per cent) respectively without thromboprophylaxis. After adjusting for age, sex, indication for surgery, American Society of Anesthesiologists grade, mode of admission, operative approach, duration of surgery and hospital volume, the OR for peroperative or postoperative bleeding complications in the group receiving prophylaxis was 1·35 (95 per cent confidence interval 1·17 to 1·55). However, in a subgroup analysis the risk was increased in laparoscopic surgery only. At 30‐day follow‐up, a total of 74 patients (0·2 per cent) had developed postoperative thromboembolism, 43 (0·2 per cent) of those who received thromboembolic prophylaxis compared with 31 (0·1 per cent) of those who did not. Conclusion: Thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy increased the risk of bleeding, but the occurrence of thromboembolic events was not significantly reduced. Identification of high‐ and low‐risk patients is needed to guide clinical decisions regarding medical thromboprophylaxis. Copyright © 2012 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

尿毒症患者行人工全髋关节置换围手术期血液透析策略

目的探究尿毒症患者行人工全髋关节置换围手术期的血液透析策略。方法本次研究为回顾性分析,选取海军军医大学附属长征医院关节外科在2006年6月至2017年6月收治的74例患有尿毒症需要进行定期血液透析,并进行初次人工全髋关节置换手术治疗的患者作为研究对象。对照组在术前1 d及术后第1天进行无肝素血透,研究组在术前1 d及术后第1天进行低分子肝素血透。对照组37例,男11例,女26例;年龄49~77岁,平均年龄(66.8±5.9)岁;透析病程2~7年,平均病程(4.3±1.8)年。研究组37例,男15例,女22例;年龄55~83岁,平均年龄(71.5±6.3)岁;透析病程1~8年,平均病程(5.1±1.2)年。观察两组患者手术后肾功能、血红蛋白降低量、凝血指标、关节功能恢复情况并进行对比。结果所有患者均获得随访,随访时间13~102个月,平均(34.5±6.8)个月。术前血透后、术后血透后和术后3 d时研究组血尿素氮、血钾和血肌酐指标均优于对照组(P<0.05);两组术后凝血功能、出血量以及髋关节功能Harris评分差异均无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论尿毒症患者行人工全髋关节置换围手术期采用无肝素血透与低分子肝素血透比较,在术后出血量、凝血功能及关节功能恢复情况方面差异无统计学意义,但使用低分子肝素血透的患者肾功能指标明显优于无肝素血透患者。这提示我们,对于需要进行人工全髋关节置换手术的尿毒症患者,围手术期建议采用低分子肝素血透方法,有助于保护患者肾功能,提高手术的安全性,降低风险,值得在临床上推广使用。     

The use of heparin in patients in whom a pulmonary embolism is suspected after total hip arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND: The morbidity and mortality associated with pulmonary embolism are well known, as is the benefit of the use of heparin in patients who have a pulmonary embolism. However, the patterns of heparin use as well as its undesirable effects, especially in patients who have recently had a total hip arthroplasty, have been less well studied. Thus, concern arises regarding the use of heparin in patients who have no firm evidence of a pulmonary embolism. The purpose of the current study was to track the use of heparin and associated orthopaedic complications in patients in whom a pulmonary embolism was suspected after a total hip arthroplasty. METHODS: The records of 150 patients in whom a pulmonary embolism had been suspected after a total hip arthroplasty were reviewed retrospectively. The rates of individual complications (such as stroke, infection, and hematoma) and those of groups of complications (such as medical complications, orthopaedic complications, and all complications combined) were recorded and then were stratified according to the treatment (with or without heparin), the presence or absence of pulmonary embolism, and other variables. RESULTS: Thirty-two (47 percent) of sixty-eight patients who were managed with heparin had complications compared with sixteen (20 percent) of eighty-two patients who were not thus managed (p = 0.0006). Specifically, patients who were managed with heparin were more likely to have gastrointestinal bleeding, hematological complications, a loose prosthesis, a hematoma, or an early revision arthroplasty (p<0.05 for all). With the numbers available, the use of heparin was not found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of death, stroke, or infection at the site of the prosthesis. Interestingly, thirty-one (31 percent) of ninety-nine patients who had ventilation-perfusion scans that demonstrated normal findings or findings indicating a low probability of pulmonary embolism were given heparin before the diagnosis of a pulmonary embolism was excluded, and sixteen (52 percent) of these thirty-one had complications. CONCLUSIONS: Given this risk profile, we advise against the use of heparin before the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism is established in patients who have had a total hip arthroplasty. This recommendation is supported by algorithms, in widely read medical texts, pertaining to the use of heparin in patients in whom a pulmonary embolism is suspected.     

Prevention of venous thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty. Comparison of antithrombin III and low-dose heparin with dextran.

In a prospective, randomized trial, we compared the efficacy of a combination of antithrombin III and heparin with that of dextran 40 as prophylaxis against venous thrombosis after total knee arthroplasty. Ascending venography identified thrombosis in about one-third of the patients who received the combination of antithrombin III and heparin, compared with about four-fifths of those who received dextran (p less than 0.001). In both groups, the patients who had venous thrombosis had a significantly lower concentration of antithrombin III postoperatively than those who did not have thrombosis. Venous thrombosis occurred in all patients in whom the concentration of antithrombin III was less than 65 per cent postoperatively. These findings demonstrated that, after total knee replacement, the combination of antithrombin III and heparin effectively reduces the incidence of postoperative venous thrombosis and is significantly better than dextran. Furthermore, the findings suggested a relationship between postoperative deficiency of antithrombin III and the occurrence of thrombotic complications.     

Computerized management of oral anticoagulant therapy: experience in major joint arthroplasty.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the safety and potential cost savings of a computerized, laboratory-based program to manage inpatient warfarin thromboprophylaxis after major joint arthroplasty. DESIGN: A consecutive-case study of adults. SETTING: A tertiary care orthopedic institution. PATIENTS: Patients requiring joint arthroplasty who had no recent episodes of thromboembolic disease, no mechanical heart valve, atrial fibrillation, severe liver disease or baseline international normalized ratio [INR] greater than 1.3 admitted over a 54-month period (July 1994-December 1998). All patients received a standard regimen of warfarin beginning on the evening after the operation. Four hundred and thirty randomly selected patients managed by the program were followed up by telephone survey 3 months after discharge. Patients exhibiting erratic responses to warfarin were withdrawn from the program and managed individually thereafter. INTERVENTION: Major joint arthroplasty with warfarin therapy administered through the computerized program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Test results maintained within the desired therapeutic range (INR 2.0-3.0), clinically severe bleeding episodes, readmission rates, clinically symptomatic and venographically proven episodes of venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. RESULTS: Over the study period 5629 patients underwent joint arthroplasty; 5,372 patients were considered for the program; 332 patients were ineligible and were managed individually; 311 entered patients did not complete the program. This left 4,729 patients who completed the program. In 2932 (62%) patients test results were maintained in the desired therapeutic range. The major bleeding rate was less than 0.5%, the readmission rate was 3.8%, the deep venous thrombosis rate was 3.7% and the pulmonary embolism rate was 0.2% with no thromboembolic related deaths in the small sample cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients requiring warfarin thromboprophylaxis can be safely and effectively managed by this laboratory-based computerized program while in hospital. Significant potential cost savings in nursing time could be achieved.     

Prevention of thromboembolism in 190 hip arthroplasties. Comparison of LMW heparin and placebo.

Prophylactic efficacy and safety of a low molecular weight (LMW) heparin against postoperative thromboembolic complications were investigated in a double-blind, randomized study. Totally, 210 consecutive patients undergoing total hip replacement were allocated to two groups. Patients in the heparin group received 50 IU anti-Xa per kilo body weight of Logiparin once daily, and patients in the placebo group received one daily injection of saline. Additional prophylaxis in all the patients was thigh-length compression stockings beginning on the day of the operation. Deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed by bilateral ascending phlebography between Days 8 and 10 after the operation. Twenty patients were excluded from the evaluation. Thirty of 93 patients in the heparin group compared with 45 of 97 patients in the placebo group suffered a thromboembolic complication during the study (P = 0.02). The postoperative blood loss and total number of blood transfusions in the heparin group were higher than in the placebo group. However, the observed differences were of no clinical importance. Adverse effects, including bleeding complications and wound hematomas, were observed in 13 heparin patients and 7 placebo patients (NS). One patient in each group died. Thrombo-prophylaxis with LMW heparin once daily was safe and more effective than the placebo in patients undergoing total hip replacement.     

Prevention of thromboembolism in 190 hip arthroplasties: Comparison of LMW heparin andplacebo

Prophylactic efficacy and safety of a low molecular weight (LMW) heparin against postoperative thromboembolic complications were investigated in a double-blind, randomized study. Totally, 210 consecutive patients undergoing total hip replacement were allocated to two groups. Patients in the heparin group received 50 IU anti-Xa per kilo body weight of Logiparin™ once daily, and patients in the placebo group received one daily injection of saline. Additional prophylaxis in all the patients was thigh-length compression stockings beginning on the day of the operation. Deep vein thrombosis was diagnosed by bilateral ascending phlebography between Days 8 and 10 after the operation. Twenty patients were excluded from the evaluation. Thirty of 93 patients in the heparin group compared with 45 of 97 patients in the placebo group suffered a thromboembolic complication during the study (P = 0.02). The postoperative blood loss and total number of blood transfusions in the heparin group were higher than in the placebo group. However, the observed differences were of no clinical importance. Adverse effects, including bleeding complications and wound hematomas, were observed in 13 heparin patients and 7 placebo patients (NS). One patient in each group died.

Thromboprophylaxis with LMW heparin once daily was safe and more effective than the placebo in patients undergoing total hip replacement     

Controlled trial of low-dose heparin and sulfinpyrazone to prevent venous thromboembolism after operation on the hip.

A randomized, double-blind controlled trial of low-dose heparin combined with sulfinpyrazone to prevent deep-vein thrombosis after operation on the hip was carried out. In a group of seventy-three patients after arthroplasty, postoperative thrombosis of the veins of the lower limbs occurred in 51 per cent of the control patients and in 36 per cent of the treated patients. In a fracture group of thirty patients, thrombosis occurred in 75 per cent of the control patients and in 36 per cent of the treated patients. These differences are of borderline statistical significance in the fracture group and are of no statistical significance in the arthroplasty group. However, a 36 per cent incidence of venous thrombosis in the drug-treated patients is too high to justify recommendation of the regimen tested without careful monitoring of patients by tests designed to detect thrombosis. Then, appropriate anticoagulant therapy can be instituted if necessary.     

Use of enoxaparin results in more haemorrhagic complications after breast surgery than unfractionated heparin

Background:

Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is used in preference to unfractionated heparin (UFH) for the prevention of postoperative thromboembolism in many UK surgical units. There are, however, conflicting reports on the relative risk of significant bleeding in surgical patients, and no data exist in the literature for patients undergoing breast surgery.

Methods:

Data for patients in the Edinburgh Breast Unit with postoperative breast haematoma that needed surgical intervention were analysed for two 12‐month intervals in which either UFH (2001) or LMWH (2005–2006) was used for thromboprophylaxis. Haematoma rates in the 6 months after UFH was reintroduced in 2006–2007 were also determined.

Results:

The rate of haematoma requiring surgical intervention was 0·4 per cent (six of 1452 wounds) in patients who had UFH, compared with 1·8 per cent (32 of 1780 wounds) for LMWH. The rate fell to 0·5 per cent (four of 773 wounds) on reinstituting UFH. The relative risk of haematoma was significantly higher with LMWH than with UFH (4·00 (95 per cent confidence interval 1·97 to 8·11); P < 0·001). No significant postoperative thromboembolic complications were recorded.

Conclusion:

LMWH thromboprophylaxis was associated with a significant increase in haemorrhagic complications after breast surgery compared with UFH. Copyright © 2008 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Endoprosthesis as Treatment for Necrosis and Pseudarthrosis After Transcervical Femoral Fractures: A Clinical Review

This report concerns 105 patients who developed painful necrosis or pseudarthrosis after nailed transcervical femoral fractures and were treated by Moore's arthroplasty. The mean age at the time of secondary arthroplasty was 68 years, the operation being performed on average 2 years after the fracture and nailing. The mortality within 6 weeks of operation was 3 per cent. Complications not producing late sequelae were seen in 11.4 per cent of cases, and complications producing late sequelae occurred in 5.7 per cent. At the follow-up examination 2 to 8 years after arthroplasty (mean 3.7 years), 37 per cent of the patients were completely free from pain, and the functional result was acceptable in 91 per cent. The remaining 9 per cent had other debilitating illnesses. The results are compared with other reports in the literature.     

A comparative randomized trial of heparin versus streptokinase in the treatment of acute proximal venous thrombosis: an interim report of a prospective trial.

A controlled, prospective study comparing streptokinase and heparin treatment has been completed in 51 patients presenting with acute proximal venous thrombosis of less than 8 days' clinical duration. Patients were studied by means of pre-treatment, post-treatment, 3- and 12-monthly phlebography and pulmonary perfusion scanning and were followed up at 3-monthly intervals. Of the 26 patients randomized to receive streptokinase, therapy was stopped in 3 because of complications. Phlebography 5 days after starting treatment showed 80--100 per cent lysis in 17 of the 23 patients who completed the course of streptokinase. Two patients later developed partial rethrombosis. One patient developed an asymptomatic pulmonary embolus during treatment. During follow-up (mean 19 months) only 1 of the 17 patients with 80--100 per cent lysis developed postphlebitic symptoms, 3 patients died of unrelated causes and 1 patient was lost to follow-up. In patients randomized to heparin therapy no significant lysis was achieved in any of the 25 patients and only 2 of these patients were found to have asymptomatic legs on follow-up. Two patients in this group died and autopsy confirmed massive pulmonary embolus during treatment. These data suggest that streptokinase is superior to heparin in the treatment of acute proximal venous thrombosis of less than 1 week's clinical duration especially if the thrombus is largely non-occlusive. It must be stressed that in order to avoid the bleeding complications of thrombolytic therapy, streptokinase must not be used within 10 days of major surgery, or even longer after vascular, neurosurgical or eye operations.