Deep vein thrombosis after surgery

Abstract

Despite the introduction of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains a significant complication after surgery. A DVT is a thrombus (clot) consisting of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets bound together with fibrin strands, which forms in the venous portion of the vasculature. Although it can involve any vein in the body, it occurs most frequently in the lower limbs, affecting the superficial large veins and deep veins of the calf and those above the knee.¹ A DVT that occurs in deep knee or thigh veins is known as a proximal DVT. A potentially fatal complication of VTE is pulmonary PE.¹