[Effectiveness and side effects of low-molecular weight heparin-dihydroergotamine in preventing thromboembolism in abdominal surgery]

Low-molecular heparin-dihydroergotamine had been applied once a day to 103 patients and heparin-dihydroergotamine twice a day to 97 patients as part of a double-blind, controlled, consecutive, and randomised clinical study, with 200 abdominal surgery patients being involved. High-risk patients above 40 years of age and potentially affected by thrombotically predisposing factors were almost equally represented in both groups. Evidence to postoperative thrombosis was phlebographically produced in either group. No fatal pulmonary embolism was found to be among ten deaths. No significant differences of clinical relevance were found to exist between both groups with regard to coagulative values, intra-operative and postoperative blood and drainage loss, and complications due to bleeding. No accumulated occurrence of major postoperative complications was recordable from either group. The vascular status of all patients was unchanged from beginning to end of the period of observation. The following conclusion was drawn as a result of the study: One single NMH/DHE injection daily is comparable with two HDHE applications per die for action and undesired side-effects.