Venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in plastic surgery: a survey of the practice in Denmark

Abstract

Background: Venous thromboembolism is a well-documented complication of surgery, including plastic surgery. However, few consensus guidelines on thromboembolism prophylaxis exist in plastic surgery and, thus, the different approaches in the public as well as the private clinics in Denmark were investigated using a web-based survey.

Methods: Forty-two clinics were contacted and 45% responded.

Results: The collected data reveals a lack of consensus in plastic surgery in Denmark, not only regarding the use of mechanical and chemical prophylaxis, but also which type of prophylaxis to apply, the duration of prophylaxis, and how to risk stratify the patients.

Conclusion: The development of a guideline, based on plastic surgical data, using a validated risk assessment model, which combines the surgical risk with the patient related risk and recommends guidelines for mechanical as well as chemoprophylaxis is advised.

Keywords:

• DVT
• PE
• plastic surgery
• risk assessment model
• survey
• thromboembolism prophylaxis
• venous thromboembolism

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest and have received no funding in relation to this article. All authors have seen and accepted the submitted version of this paper and they alone bear the responsibility for the content. The material is original and has neither been published, nor submitted for publication, elsewhere. If the material is accepted for publication, the paper will not be published elsewhere without written consent of the copyright holder.