Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism After Adolescent Knee Arthroscopy

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Pediatric Surgery
• Vascular Surgery

Background:

• Knee arthroscopy is increasingly performed in pediatric and adolescent patients.
• Complications are generally rare in this demographic.
• Venous thromboembolism (VTE) incidence and risk factors in adolescents post-knee arthroscopy require further elucidation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence of symptomatic VTE in adolescent patients following knee arthroscopy.
• To identify specific risk factors associated with VTE in this population.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of medical records for patients aged 19 years or younger who underwent knee arthroscopy between 2010 and 2014.
• Inclusion criteria: diagnosis of symptomatic VTE in the postoperative period.
• Data collected included demographics, surgical details, VTE risk factors (family history, obesity, oral contraceptive use, smoking), and treatment.

Main Results:

• Seven out of 2783 patients (0.25%) developed postoperative VTE.
• VTE occurred a mean of 9 days post-surgery.
• Identifiable risk factors were present in all affected patients, including oral contraceptive use, smoking, obesity, open procedures, and prolonged tourniquet time.

Conclusions:

• The incidence of VTE following adolescent knee arthroscopy is approximately 0.25%.
• Pre-existing VTE risk factors are consistently present in affected adolescents.
• Low-molecular-weight heparin demonstrated successful treatment for VTE in this cohort.