Deep venous thrombosis prophylaxis in laparoscopy: An evidence-based review

Excerpt

There is considerable controversy over the best practice for the prevention of venous thromboembolic (VTE) disease during laparoscopic surgery. When considering prophylactic therapy for any disease, the risk–benefit ratio of the therapy and the disease should be considered, as well as the cost effectiveness and ability to employ the prophylactic strategy effectively across the health care system as a whole. This evidence-based review will examine the strategy of risk stratification when employing prophylactic therapy for VTE disease patients undergoing laparoscopic procedures. Although there are examples of specific procedures, the basic philosophy is that the prophylactic therapy should be tailored to the needs of the individual patient based on estimated risk of VTE disease. Therefore there may be a specific procedure that has a variety of treatment strategies for varying clinical scenarios. …