Background: Patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty (THA) or total knee arthroplasty (TKA) are at risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Australian orthopaedic guidelines recommend aspirin and low-molecular-weight heparin (e.g. enoxaparin) for VTE prophylaxis; however, there is debate in the international literature around the use of aspirin as VTE prophylaxis. This review assesses the risks and benefits of aspirin compared to enoxaparin as VTE prophylaxis for patients undergoing THA or TKA. Methods: A systematic review was conducted to identify relevant randomized controlled trials. Studies comparing enoxaparin, aspirin and/or placebo for VTE prophylaxis in THA or TKA patients were included. Network meta-analysis (NMA) was performed to calculate risk ratios (RRs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Quality appraisal was conducted by assessing risk of bias and the strength of the evidence. Results: Nine randomized controlled trials were eligible for inclusion. The NMA found no statistically significant differences for the investigated outcomes: total DVT rates (RR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.86, 1.72), symptomatic pulmonary embolism (PE) rates (RR = 1.02, 95% CI 0.02, 50.86), major haemorrhage (RR = 0.97, 95% CI 0.02, 50.99) and wound complication (RR = 0.73, 95% CI 0.17, 3.20). The occurrence of PE was rare. Due to limited data, sub-group analysis was not possible. The overall quality of evidence in the NMA is considered to be very low. Conclusion: This review did not find statistically significant differences between aspirin and enoxaparin. Future studies should identify more evidence, particularly for rare outcomes such as PE, as this might help decision-makers to get consensus on the use of aspirin as VTE prophylaxis.
Background:Patients undergoing open abdominopelvic procedures for malignancy are at high risk of postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE). This risk can be mitigated with prophylaxis; however, optimum duration in this population remains unknown. Our objective was to conduct a systematic review of contemporary literature on the use of heparin thromboprophylaxis following major open pelvic surgery for malignancy, comparing the efficacy and safety of extended duration to inpatient treatment. Methods: A study protocol describing search strategy and inclusion and exclusion criteria was developed and registered with PROSPERO. A literature review was conducted in accordance with the protocol. Results: Literature review identified only 4 studies directly comparing extended and inpatient duration prophylaxis, with a combined population of 3198 and 3135 patients for VTE rate and bleeding events, respectively. Despite many studies reporting lower VTE rates in patients receiving extended prophylaxis, no statistically significant difference in rates of postoperative VTE (p = 0.18) or bleeding complications (p = 0.43) was identified between patients receiving extended duration prophylaxis and those receiving inpatient only prophylaxis. Conclusion: On the review of contemporary literature, no significant difference was found in rates of postoperative VTE or bleeding complications between patients receiving extended duration heparin VTE prophylaxis and those receiving inpatient prophylaxis after open abdominopelvic surgery for malignancy. This raises the question of how extended duration prophylaxis has become common practice in this population, and whether this needs to be re-evaluated.
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