Risk of Venous Thromboembolism After Laparoscopic Surgery for Gynecologic Malignancy

To determine the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic cancer.

Retrospective analysis of the ACS-NSQIP database (Canadian Task Force Classification II.1).

Academic and community healthcare institutions across the United States.

Women who underwent at least 1 major laparoscopic surgery for uterine, ovarian, and cervical cancers.

Data were collected on surgical procedures, patient demographic variables, type of malignancy and VTE, and mortality outcomes within 30 days of surgery.

VTE was defined as deep venous thrombosis requiring therapy and pulmonary embolism confirmed by imaging or autopsy within 30 days of surgery. Of the 2219 patients included in the final analysis, 15 patients (.7%) were diagnosed with VTE within 30 days after surgery. Six patients (.3%) were diagnosed before discharge, and 9 patients (.4%) were diagnosed after discharge. The median time from surgery to diagnosis was 6 days (range, 0-28 days). Although most patients included in the study had uterine cancer (86%, n = 1913), no difference was noted based on the site of cancer (.5% for cervical cancer, .7% for endometrial cancer, and .8% for ovarian cancer; p = .95). There was no difference in rate of VTE when stratified by age (p = .10), body mass index (p = .68), diabetes (p = .22), smoking (p = .60), respiratory morbidities (p = .55), cardiac disease (p = .22), hypertension (p = .13), preoperative blood transfusion (p = .90), or American Society of Anesthesiologists class (p = .10). There was a trend toward higher risk of VTE among patients with disseminated cancer compared with those with early cancers (3.6% vs .6%, p = .05). No difference was found in the risk of VTE based on operative time (.7% for <2 hours, .6% for 2-3 hours, and .7% for >3 hours; p = .96). No difference was noted in the risk of VTE among those who underwent lymphadenectomy compared with those who did not (.9% vs .5%, p = .35). In multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusting age (p = .12), body mass index (p = .90), operative time (p = .71), and lymphadenectomy (p = .30), none of these variables was significantly associated with risk of VTE. In multivariable analysis adjusting for other confounders, VTE within 30 days was a significant predictor of higher 30-day mortality (OR, 26.0; 95% CI, 2.2-306.9; p = .01).

The rate of VTE is low after major laparoscopic surgery for gynecologic cancers but is associated with increased 30-day mortality. Universal or extended thromboprophylaxis does not appear to be indicated for all patients. Further studies are needed to identify patients at high risk for postoperative VTE who may benefit from pharmacologic prophylaxis.