Aspirin versus rivaroxaban in postoperative bleeding after total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective case-matched study

Background Venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) is a complication not uncommon following total knee arthroplasty. Postoperative bleeding-related complications are a concern in many guidelines. The authors aimed to compare the amount of postoperative drainage from closed suction drainage, transfusion rate, and postoperative complications between aspirin and rivaroxaban as VTE prophylaxes after total knee arthroplasty. Methods This study was a retrospective case-matched study of 155 patients. The data were collected between 2008 and 2015 from patients who had total knee arthroplasty using aspirin or rivaroxaban as the VTE prophylaxis. Seventy-nine patients received aspirin, and 76 patients received rivaroxaban. A single surgeon operated on all patients with the same surgical technique and patient care protocol. Results The total closed suction drainage outputs at 48 h were not significantly different between the aspirin and rivaroxaban groups ( p = 0.10). Eighteen percent of patients in the aspirin group and 25% of patients in the rivaroxaban group received blood transfusions ( p = 0.37). There were no bleeding-related complications or VTE in either group. Conclusions Aspirin and rivaroxaban were effective and safe as VTE chemoprophylaxis in total knee arthroplasty.