title: A survey of orthopedic surgeons regarding DVT prophylaxis in foot and ankle trauma surgery.
abstract: This study hypothesized that thromboembolism in patients with foot and ankle trauma is higher than currently recognized, and that prophylaxis varies among surgeons. A questionnaire sent to members of two orthopedic specialty societies surveyed the use of thromboembolic prophylaxis over 1 year. Most did not use preoperative prophylaxis. Postoperatively, 44% of surgeons used prophylaxis, most commonly sequential compression devices and low molecular weight heparin. This survey suggests that thromboembolic prophylaxis is used by < 50% of surgeons treating foot and ankle trauma. The reported cases of thromboembolism in this study underline the need for a prospective investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer Moriatis
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: Christopher W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: DiGiovanni
mesh_terms: D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D018409:Foot Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000517:prevention & control*