[Prevention of postsurgical thromboembolism with small doses of heparin]

The study includes 390 patients of different age, operated for various conditions during the last quarter of 1975, and systematically treated post operatively with heparin (the cases in which heparin was contraindicated were not included). None of the patients developed signs of thromboembolism after the operation. The drawbacks of the method are virtually inexistent as compared to the gravity of postoperative thrombolic complications. A further study included 1708 operated patients of whom 223 (13.0%) received the heparin treatment and 1485 (87.0%) did not. There was no thrombolic-embolic complication in the former lot and 12 cases (0.8%) in the latter. Three of 15 patients (20%) in whom the postoperative heparin treatment was interrupted immediately or very soon, developed thromboembolism. The method is efficient provided it is applied after the operation up to complete mobilization of the patient. The method is readily applicable, there is no risk and haemostasis is insured.