Multimodal prophylaxis for venous thromboembolic disease after total hip and knee arthroplasty: current perspectives.

Overview

Life-threatening in the short term and leading to a high level of morbidity in the long term, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most fearful complication following lower limb arthroplasty. With advances in surgical procedure, anesthetic management and postoperative convalescence have altered the risks of venous thromboembolism after total joint arthroplasty in the lower extremity. The pathogenesis of VTE is multifactorial and includes the well-known Virchow's triad of hypercoagulability, venous stasis and endothelial damage. Therefore, it is appropriate to use a multimodal approach to thromboprophylaxis. Despite extensive research, the ideal multimodal prophylaxis against venous thrombolism has not been identified. So this article reviews the recent developments in multimodal prophylaxis for thromboembolism after total joint arthroplasty.