Sulfinpyrazone and postoperative deep vein thrombosis

Area of Science:

• Vascular Surgery
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Pulmonary embolism is a risk after general surgery.
• Subcutaneous heparin and dextran infusions reduce embolism risk but have drawbacks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of sulfinpyrazone in preventing deep vein thrombosis (DVT).
• To compare sulfinpyrazone with heparin and dextran for DVT prophylaxis.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study of 119 patients undergoing elective general or urological surgery.
• Patients received prophylactic sulfinpyrazone, subcutaneous heparin, or dextran-70.
• The 125I-fibrinogen test was used to diagnose DVT.

Main Results:

• Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) incidence was 43% with sulfinpyrazone, 31% with dextran-70, and 9% with heparin.
• The difference in DVT rates between sulfinpyrazone and heparin was statistically significant (p < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Sulfinpyrazone, at the dose tested, was not effective in preventing DVT during elective general surgery.
• Subcutaneous heparin demonstrated superior efficacy in DVT prophylaxis compared to sulfinpyrazone.