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Current practice for anticoagulation prophylaxis in inguinal hernia surgery: a questionnaire survey
1Department of Surgery, Blackburn Royal Infirmary, Blackburn, United Kindgom. suhail@anwar99.freeserve.co.uk
The New Zealand Medical Journal
|October 29, 2003
Summary
British surgeons show significant variation in prescribing deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis for inguinal hernia repair. Many do not risk-stratify patients, leading to potential over or under-treatment.
Area of Science:
- Surgical outcomes research
- Thromboprophylaxis efficacy
- Public health policy in surgery
Background:
- Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are known risks in general anesthesia.
- Established prophylactic measures exist, yet surgeon practice varies widely.
- Inguinal hernia repair is a common procedure with low DVT incidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey DVT prophylaxis use in UK inguinal hernia repairs.
- To identify variations in anticoagulation practices among British surgeons.
- To assess current thromboprophylaxis strategies for hernia surgery.
Main Methods:
- Questionnaire survey distributed to surgeons.
- Association of Endoscopic Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (AESGBI) members surveyed.
- A 72% response rate achieved from 250 distributed questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Significant variation observed in anticoagulation use among surgeons.
- Only 10% (laparoscopic) and 14% (open) surgeons risk-stratify patients.
- 10% of surgeons reported not using any DVT prophylaxis.
Conclusions:
- Wide practice variation in DVT prophylaxis for inguinal hernia repair exists.
- Both over- and under-treatment have implications for side effects and costs.
- Risk stratification is recommended prior to initiating thromboprophylaxis.