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Performance of new anticoagulants for thromboprophylaxis in patients undergoing hip and knee replacement surgery
1Department of Outcomes Research, New Mexico Heart Institute, University of New Mexico, 502 Elm Street NE, Albuquerque, NM 87102, USA. cmahan@nmhi.com
Abstract:
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) represents one of the most preventable complications that occur during hospitalization, and measurement of hospital-associated VTE is becoming a key component in hospital quality measures. Guidelines for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism have been published by several organizations to guide quality of care; however, some of the guidelines are divergent in their recommendations. This disagreement among guidelines is most pronounced in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. The advent of newer anticoagulants, which are now approved or in late-phase development, have already had an effect on the guidelines and may also affect quality measures in the future. In this article, we review the burden of VTE in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery, highlight the differences in the guidelines, and examine the new anticoagulants as they are related to VTE prophylaxis in this patient group.
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