Thromboprophylaxis for Hip and Knee Arthroplasty: Current Managements and Review of the Literature

Total Hip Arthroplasty (THA) and Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) are major surgical procedures which can cause high morbidity and even mortality. Among these complications is venous thrombo embolism (VTE) comprising deep vien thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Therefore, after these operations, thromboprophylaxis is routinely used. However, it has some complications such as bleeding, adverse effect of chemical agents for using prevention of DVT. Anti-thrombotic prophylaxis includes: low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), fondaparinux, apixaban, dabigatran, rivaroxaban, low dose unfractionated heparin (LDUH), adjusted dose vitamin K antagonist (VKA), aspirin, or mechanical thromboprophylaxis devices. All over the World, orthopaedic surgeons consider a balance between thromboprophylaxis and bleeding. However, it has been still controversy about optimum prophylaxis for DVT. In this current paper, we aimed to review the literature under light of the current studies.