Thromboprophylaxis following cesarean section – a nation-wide survey from Germany

Abstract

Objective: Our study aimed to assess current practice related to thromboprophylaxis following cesarean section (c.s.) among obstetricians in Germany taking account of the German and international guidelines.Study design: A nation-wide survey using a structured 22-item questionnaire was conducted in Germany. The questionnaire was sent to head of all registered departments of obstetrics and gynecology in Germany, followed by a single reminder followed 3 weeks after the first return deadline. The respondents’ answers were related to the different levels of care (1–4) of German perinatal centers.Results: In total 726 obstetric departments were invited to participate. Questionnaires were returned by 389 (54%) of departments. Of the respondents 162 (41%) stated to undertake risk assessment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) using a structured checklist or interview. Compared to level 4 centers risk assessment was significantly more often performed by perinatal centers level 1 (47 versus 35%, p = .05). The majority of responding hospitals preferred universal heparin thromboprophylaxis following elective and emergency caesarean section, regardless of additional risk factors (n = 362; 93%). The “usual” prophylactic dose of heparin was given by the majority of hospitals (n = 280, 72%), while 98 (25%) hospitals used heparin doses adjusted to patients’ body weight. In women at increased risk for VTE (e.g. previous VTE) there was a considerable variation in the recommended doses; 140 responding hospitals (36%) used 50–75% of the therapeutic heparin dose, 139 hospitals (36%) the “usual” prophylactic dose, and 97 hospitals (25%) preferred a therapeutic dose. In women at low risk for VTE 64% (n = 248) of hospitals recommended heparin thromboprophylaxis only during the hospital stay, 16% (n = 62) for at least 7 days after c.s., 4% (n = 15) for 10 days, 6% (n = 23) for 2–5 weeks, and 3% (n = 14) for 6 weeks postpartum. In women at increased risk level 1 centers prescribed heparin for VTE prophylaxis significantly more often for 6–8-week postpartum compared to level 4 centers (p = .02) whereas Level 4 centers used prophylactic heparin significantly more often <6 weeks (p = .01).Conclusion: Our survey reveals that the vast majority of hospitals (93%) used heparin prophylaxis after any c.s., irrespective of individual risk factors and the mode of c.s. (elective or emergency). This is in remarkable contrast to the recommendations from the German and other international guidelines. As well, we found a wide variation among respondents in dosing and duration of heparin related to the risk profile of VTE. This demonstrates, that there is little awareness and/or adherence to the German and other guideline recommendations which mirrors the inconsistencies between current guidelines. There is an urgent need to clarify optimal prophylaxis strategies after c.s. and the true magnitudes of benefits and harms associated with heparin prophylaxis by randomized controlled trials with sufficient statistical power.