Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Thromboprophylaxis in Spinal Surgery.

William P Mosenthal1, David C Landy1, Haroutioun H Boyajian1

  • 1Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Chicago Medicine Division of Biological Sciences, Chicago, IL.

Spine
|August 19, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Hydrogen evolution and dynamics in hydrogel electrochemical cells for ischemia-reperfusion therapy.

Nature chemical engineering·2026
Same author

Will Unreasonable CMS Expectations Worsen Knee Osteoarthritis Care?: Commentary on an article by Leo Zalikha, MD, et al.: "Substantial Clinical Benefit After Total Knee Arthroplasty Has Been Set Too High. An Analysis of the American Joint Replacement Registry".

The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume·2026
Same author

Preoperative Nutritional Laboratory Tests Are Infrequently Obtained and Weakly Associated With 90-Day Reoperation Following Total Knee Arthroplasty.

The Journal of arthroplasty·2026
Same author

Robust Radical-Mediated Electrical Enzyme Assay (REEA) Cartridge FET Sensor toward Practical Applications.

Analytical chemistry·2026
Same author

The Persistent Challenges of Diagnosing Orthopaedic Implant-Related Infections.

The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume·2026
Same author

Minimally invasive bioelectronic implants.

Nature materials·2026
Same journal

Comparing those Most Satisfied versus Least Satisfied Following Surgery for Cervical Spondylotic Myelopathy: Are there Differences in Baseline Characteristics?

Spine·2026
Same journal

Pseudoarthrosis After Posterior Spinal Fusion in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: A Multicenter Analysis of Revision Strategies and Outcomes.

Spine·2026
Same journal

To the Editor "Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Statin Usage Are Associated With Rates of Pseudarthrosis Following Single-Level Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion" by Lavu et al.

Spine·2026
Same journal

Sarcopenia Increases Adjacent Segment Degeneration Risk within 3 Years of Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion.

Spine·2026
Same journal

Two-Year Cervical Alignment Trajectories and Associated Radiographic Factors after Posterior Spinal Fusion for Lenke Type 1 Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Spine·2026
Same journal

Association of C7 Laminoplasty and Decompression Construct Length With Postoperative Axial Symptoms After Cervical Expansive Unilateral Open-door Laminoplasty.

Spine·2026
See all related articles

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) incidence in spinal surgery patients is low but difficult to precisely determine. Chemoprophylaxis may be considered due to the significant rate of fatal pulmonary embolism.

Area of Science:

  • Orthopedic Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
  • Anesthesiology

Background:

  • Thromboembolic complications, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), pose a risk after spinal surgery.
  • The precise incidence of these events and the comparative effectiveness of various thromboprophylaxis strategies remain unclear.
  • Spine surgeons must balance the risk of thromboembolism against the risk of neurological damage from epidural hematoma.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in spinal surgery patients.
  • To compare the incidence of DVT and PE across different thromboprophylaxis methods: no prophylaxis, mechanical prophylaxis, and chemical prophylaxis.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of relevant literature was conducted.

Related Experiment Videos

  • The Medline database was searched using specific keywords related to spinal surgery and thromboembolism.
  • Data on the incidence of DVT and PE were extracted and analyzed using a random-effects model.

    • Main Results:

    • Twenty-eight studies were included in the meta-analysis.
    • The incidence of DVT was 1% and PE was 0.81% with mechanical prophylaxis, versus 0.85% for DVT and 0.58% for PE with chemoprophylaxis; these differences were not statistically significant.
    • Fatal pulmonary embolism occurred in 6% of cases, and epidural hematoma occurred in 0.3% of cases. DVT incidence was higher in prospective (1.4%) versus retrospective (0.61%) studies.

    Conclusions:

    • While the overall incidence of DVT and PE appears low, the heterogeneity and limited number of studies make precise determination challenging.
    • The observed rate of fatal PE suggests a potential role for chemoprophylaxis in spinal surgery.
    • Further research is necessary to identify specific patient populations who would most benefit from chemoprophylaxis.