Venous thromboembolism after total knee and hip arthroplasty. A retrospective study

To evaluate the incidence and risk factors of Venous thromboembolism (VTE) among total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and total hip arthroplasty (THA) patients following surgery. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of electronic medical records of consecutive patients between January 2010 and January 2015 who underwent TKA or THA at King Abdulaziz Medical City (KAMC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Results: The incidence of symptomatic VTE was 1.9% (17 events, 95% CI: 1.1-2.8) in 756 patients who underwent 889 surgeries. All VTE cases developed before hospital discharge. Twelve (1.4%) patients developed pulmonary embolism, and 5 (0.6%) patients developed deep vein thrombosis. The majority of patients (n=557, 62.7%) underwent surgery for single TKA, and 138 (15.5%) patients underwent bilateral arthroplasty. Based on univariate risk analysis, bilateral arthroplasty was the only potential predictor for VTE after surgery. Conclusion: The rate of symptomatic VTE in a Saudi population following arthroplasty is low and comparable to the international data. However, efforts and more trials are needed to further improve in-hospital thromboprophylaxis measures.