Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients Undergoing Hip Fracture Surgery: A Survey of the Korean Hip Society.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the current status of venous thromboembolism (VTE) prevention in Korean patients with hip fractures. A survey using a questionnaire on the experiences and protocols of VTE prevention was conducted among 570 members of the Korean Hip Society. A total of 97 surgeons responded, with a response rate of 17.0%. Of the 97 participants, 61.9% answered that they had encountered one or more cases of symptomatic VTE in the past year. Mechanical prophylaxis was applied most often (30.9%) until the point of ambulation in standard-risk patients and most often (34.0%) extended until discharge in high-risk patients. Chemical prophylaxis was most often prescribed for a particular period of time rather than for recovery of walking ability (24.7% in standard-risk patients and 26.8% in high-risk patients). Dual prophylaxis was administered in the standard-risk group by 58.8% of the participants and in the high-risk group by 83.5%. Among the participants, 73.2% answered that they had been attentive to wound complications during chemical prophylaxis. More than half of the participants (59.8%) reported that they did not perform routine screening for VTE after surgery. The results of our survey provided information regarding the current status of VTE prevention for patients undergoing surgery for treatment of hip fractures in Korea as well as a baseline for establishment of educational programs and guidelines in the future.