Thromboprophylaxis in ENT patients: A national survey

The aim of this survey was to establish whether ENT departments in England follow British Medical Journal guidelines on thromboprophylaxis. A telephone survey of doctors in 80 ENT departments was used to present six clinical scenarios. The participants were asked what their local department routinely did. They were also asked whether they were aware of a local or national thromboprophylaxis policy. For patients undergoing procedures other than major head and neck procedures, compliance was poor and ranged between 7.5% and 37.5%. For laryngectomy, the rate was 82.6%. There was no statistical difference in answers given by doctors of different levels of seniority. Where local thromboprophylaxis guidelines exist, compliance is found to be statistically better. These results suggest that most ENT departments do not follow national or local guidelines on thromboprophylaxis. Greater awareness of existing guidelines is required.