Efficacy and safety of thromboembolism prophylaxis with fondaparinux in Japanese colorectal cancer patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery: A phase II study

Abstract Purpose We aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of fondaparinux (FPNX) for patients undergoing laparoscopic colorectal surgery (LAC). Methods Patients scheduled for LAC received once-daily subcutaneous injections of FPNX 1.5–2.5 mg for 4–8 days. The primary endpoint was the incidence of bleeding events. The secondary endpoint was the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). Results Among 128 patients evaluable for efficacy, 119 patients were administered FPNX. Nine patients were excluded owing to intraoperative events, including conversion to open surgery among others. Thirteen patients discontinued treatment owing to anastomotic bleeding (n = 5), anastomotic leakage (n = 3), bleeding at drain insertion site (n = 2), subcutaneous bleeding (n = 1), drug-induced rash (n = 1), and sepsis (n = 1). Among the FPNX discontinuations, there were eight cases of bleeding (6.7%), and two cases of major bleeding (1.7%). In multivariate analysis, operative time >300 min was identified as a risk factor for bleeding events ( p  = 0.001) secondary to FPNX. The incidence rate of DVT was 2.5% (3/119 cases); these patients were asymptomatic. Conclusion There were no cases of PE. It is necessary to establish strict criteria for VTE prophylaxis with FPNX after LAC for Japanese patients considering the incidence of bleeding events.