ABSTRACT
Purpose
To determine the rate of symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) among patients undergoing
arthroscopic knee procedures, risk factors associated with postoperative VTE, and
current perioperative thromboprophylaxis prescription patterns associated with this
population in the United States (U.S.).
Methods
Medical records for patients ≥18 years of age were queried from the Mariner database
using CPT codes for knee arthroscopy performed in the U.S. from 2010 to 2020 in this
cross-sectional study. Patients who received thromboprophylaxis and those diagnosed
with VTE, including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or pulmonary embolism (PE), within
90 days of surgery were identified using International Classification of Diseases
(ICD) and National Drug Codes (NDC). Two multivariable logistic regression models
were utilized to identify VTE risk factors and likelihood of perioperative thromboprophylaxis.
Covariates included procedure type, age, oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, and medical
comorbidities.
Results
A total of 718,289 patients met inclusion criteria and 7,618 patients (1.06%) experienced
VTE, including DVT (n=6,394, 0.9%) and/or PE (n=2,211, 0.3%). A total of 10,769 patients
(1.5%) filled perioperative thromboprophylaxis, including aspirin (n=5,353, 0.7%),
low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) (n=4,563, 0.6%) and oral factor Xa inhibitors
(n=947, 0.1%). Perioperative thromboprophylaxis was associated with decreased odds
of experiencing VTE (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]=0.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]=0.51–0.80).
Procedure types categorized as moderate-to-higher risk were associated with increased
odds of VTE (aOR=1.42, 95% CI=1.34–1.50). OCP use (aOR=1.63, 95% CI=1.38–1.91), obesity
(aOR=1.17, 95% CI=1.11–1.24), renal disease (aOR=1.33, 95% CI=1.18–1.50) and congestive
heart failure (CHF) (aOR=1.30, 95% CI=1.13–1.50) were associated with increased odds
of VTE.
Conclusions
While the overall rate of symptomatic VTE following knee arthroscopy remains low,
procedure types that are more complex and generally require restrictive rehabilitation
protocols, OCP use, obesity, renal disease, and CHF are associated with increased
odds of post-operative VTE. Conversely, the use of perioperative thromboprophylaxis
is associated with significantly lower VTE risk.
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Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
June 25,
2022
Received in revised form:
June 21,
2022
Received:
December 20,
2021
Publication stage
In Press Journal Pre-ProofFootnotes
Disclosures: No authors have any financial conflicts of interest or disclosures specific to this topic to report. Full disclosures are listed in the ICMJE forms.
Level of Evidence: III, retrospective comparative prognostic trial.
Identification
Copyright
© 2022 Published by Elsevier on behalf of the Arthroscopy Association of North America
