The incidence of postoperative deep vein thrombosis in vascular procedures. FINNVASC Study Group

This survey aimed to estimate the rate of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in an unselected population treated for peripheral vascular diseases. The study comprised 7533 patients on the nationwide Finnish vascular registry (FINNVASC) during two-years study period. Thirty-four (0.45%) patients were reported to have a postoperative thrombosis. Thirty-two (94%) of these had undergone vascular procedures involving the infrarenal aorta or arteries in the lower extremities. There was no difference in the occurrence of determinants (diabetes, hypertension etc.) when the group with postoperative DVT was compared to the rest of the patients on the registry. The procedures involving the lower extremity seem to carry a higher risk of postoperative DVT. In this type of surgery special attention should be focused on DVT prophylaxis.