Low incidence of deep vein thrombosis after knee arthroscopy without thromboprophylaxis: A prospective cohort study of 335 patients

Abstract

Background There is little data on the risk of deep vein thrombosis after knee arthroscopy. Patients and methods We performed a prospective cohort study to establish the incidence of venous thrombo-embolic (VTE) complications after knee arthroscopy in daycare, as detected by bilateral complete compression ultrasonography (CCUS) at day 14 (11–17) postoperatively. 335 patients completed bilateral extended ultrasound. No thromboprophylaxis was given. Results 19 (5.7%; 95% CI: 3.5%–8.7%) showed VTE on CCUS, of whom 2 were symptomatic. 1 patient developed a non-fatal pulmonary embolus during the 8-week follow-up period. There was no difference in immobilization characteristics between the patients who developed postoperative DVT and those who did not; nor could other risk factors be identified. Interpretation Since the incidence of VTE is low and a specific high-risk group for the development of VTE could not be identified, it seems justified to withhold routine pharmacological thromboprophylaxis after arthroscopy of the knee in a daycare setting.