Postoperative complications occur in approximately 2% of individuals that undergo total joint arthroplasty. One of the most common surgical complications following total joint arthroplasty is a deep venous thrombosis (DVT), or more commonly referred to as a blood clot. We strive to reduce the risk of our patients from developing a blood clot by treating them prophylactically with an anticoagulant postoperatively. The two main forms of anticoagulation we use are aspirin and Coumadin. We have a list of criteria that we use to help determine which patients are at a higher risk of developing a blood clot and those individuals are treated with Coumadin for three weeks postoperatively. Patients who are at a lower risk of developing a blood clot are put on aspirin for one month postoperatively. Some of the risk factors that increase an individuals chance of developing a blood clot include age over 70, BMI greater than 40, personal or family history of a blood clot, certain clotting disorders and the use of birth control pills or hormone replacement therapy. For a more comprehensive list of risk factors, please download our DVT Prophylaxis Protocol which is provided in a PDF format below.

 

DVT Prophylaxis Protocol DVT Prophylaxis Protocol