Introduction and interpretation of guidelines on thromboprophylaxis in the perioperative period of urological surgery

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism had drawn great attention of global experts, as it is the third leading cause of cardiovascular-associated death, ranking after coronary heart disease and stroke. Numerous health care organizations had introduced guidelines for thromboprophylaxis during the perioperative period in their own fields. The paper reviewed the available guidelines pertaining to urological surgery from America Urological Association, American College of Chest Physicians and European Association of Urology. Compared with the first two guidelines, the European Association of Urology guideline is a milestone which recommended the most detailed prophylactic measures for the procedure-specific and patient-specific according to the evidence-based medicine. Meanwhile, there was still no reliable evidence in fields of the effect of new oral anticoagulants in urology, needing further study. Although they were similar in patient management and prophylaxis principles, there are still some differences in risk factors, assessments, and recommendations of prophylactic measures. In this context, we planed to summarize the highlights and compare the differences of three guidelines addressing the use of thromboprophylaxis in urology, in order to provide reference for Chinese urologists to select the best prevention strategies for patients in the perioperative period.