Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis after Total Hip Arthroplasty in Asian Patients

In Western patient populations, the reported incidence of imaging-demonstrated deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after total hip arthroplasty (THA) is as high as 70% without prophylaxis. The reported rates of symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) after THA in recent studies range from 0.6% to 1.5%, and the risk of fatal PE ranges from 0.11% to 0.19% in the absence of prophylaxis. Predisposing factors to DVT in western patients include advanced age, previous venous insufficiency, osteoarthritis, obesity, hyperlipidemia, dietary and genetic factors. However, Asian patients who have undergone THA have a strikingly low prevalence of DVT and virtually no postoperative PE. Some authors suggest low clinical prothrombotic risk factors and the absence of some DVT-related genetic factors in Asian patient populations decrease the risk of DVT, PE or both. In Korea, the prevalence of DVT after THA without thromboprophylaxis have ranges from 6.8% to 43.8%, and asymptomatic PE have ranges from 0% to 12.9%; there have been only two reported cases of fatal PE. Deep-wound infections resulting from postoperative hematomas or prolonged wound drainage have been reported with routine thromboprophylaxis. The prevalence of DVT differs varies based on patient ethnicity. Guidelines for the use of thromboprophylaxis were altered and focus on the potential value of outcomes compared with possible complications (e.g., bleeding).