title: Incidence of clinically significant venous thromboembolic events in Asian patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty without anticoagulation.
abstract: This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of clinically significant venous thromboembolic events (VTE) in Asian patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without anticoagulation. All patients who underwent TKA by a single surgeon from 2006 to 2010 in Singapore General Hospital were reviewed. Only symptomatic patients were referred for ultrasonography. Of the 531 patients reviewed, 3 patients developed symptoms of deep vein thrombosis with subsequent ultrasonographic confirmation, whereas 1 patient developed fatal pulmonary embolism without any clinical or radiologic evidence of deep vein thrombosis. Hence, the incidence of clinically significant VTE was 0.75%. Given the low incidence of clinically significant VTE, there is a need to review the current practice of routine chemoprophylaxis in Asian patients undergoing TKA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Singapore General Hospital,Singapore, Singapore.
authors.forename: Hamid Rahmatullah
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Bin Abd Razak
authors.forename: Ang Teng
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Soon
authors.forename: Ian Dominic
authors.initials: ID
authors.lastname: Dhanaraj
authors.forename: Andrew Hwee Chye
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Tan
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001208:Asia / Q000208:ethnology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007719:Knee Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012846:Singapore / Q000453:epidemiology; D014463:Ultrasonography; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants