Incidence of deep venous thrombosis after thoracotomy

Background: Incidence of deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after thoracotomy has not been widely studied. DVT is a frequent complication in major surgery i nvolving abdominal and pelvic areas and lower extremities. The aim of the p resent study was to evaluate the rate of postoperative DVTs after surgery o f the lung. Methods: In this prospective study with 25 patients undergoing thoracotomy both legs were studied with venous duplex imaging (VDI) preoperatively and on the second postoperative day. Clinically manifest thromboembolic events during one-month postoperative period were reviewed from the patients' reco rds. DVT prophylaxis included compression stockings and early mobilization without low-molecular weight heparin. Results: Frequency of postoperative DVTs was 4%. There were no clinically m anifest thromboembolic events during one-month postoperative period. In 8% of the patients an old DVT was found preoperatively. Conclusions: Based on this material, incidence of DVT is low after thoracot omy. Early mobilization and the use of compression stockings may be a suffi cient form of prophylaxis in these patients. The relatively small sample si ze and the use of ultrasound as a screening method should be noted in judgi ng the results.