Comprehensive prevention of postoperative thrombosis

: Thromboembolic disease with its high mortality and morbidity is currently one of the most serious postoperative complications. Its occurrence in high-risk patients in surgical wards is 25-50%. Since 1979, the authors have examined 160 risk patients in whom no prevention had been performed. In this group of patients they detected the occurrence of profound venous thrombosis by means of the accumulation fibrinogen test, targeted phlebography under skiascopic control. At the same time the clinical symptomatology was followed in detail. Since the thrombosis is a multifactorial process, the effective preventive measure must affect and normalize as many disturbed homeostatic processes as possible. Into the group of 176 high-risk patients, the authors introduced a complex prevention into surgical routine residing in classical low-dose heparinization by 5000 u.s.c. with the first dose administered 1 hours prior to surgery, preoperational haemodilution with the administration of minimally 500 ml of Dextran and in preoperation administration of antiaggregants (Acylpyrin). by means of this tactic, the greatest antithrombotic effect is brought about preoperatively and in the first postoperative hours while the patient is protected minimally 5 to 7 postoperative days. Both preoperative and postoperative procedures are monitored by means of a complex haemocoagulation examination of the basic 10 haemocoagulation factors. The occurrence of thrombosis in patients without prevention with minimally 5 thrombogenetic risk factors during the control by means of the accumulation fibrinogen test was 32.4% and during the control by means of targeted phlebography is 24%. The differences are not statistically significant. In the group of patients with prevention the occurrence is 5.6%. In this group the screening is represented by the accumulation fibrinogen test and its positivity is verified by its localization by means of selective phlebography. The occurrence of deep vein thrombosis in the group with prevention and in the control groups statistically highly significant p > 0.0005. Haemocoagulation examination is aimed at the determination of the normalization impact of prevention on the state of hypercoagulation ability associated with the depression of spontaneous fibrinolysis in patients without prevention. The thrombi detected in patients with prevention are localized in short segments of crural veins. Clinically more significant bleeding in the group of patients with prevention occurred only in 2 patients, i.e. in 1%. Complex multifactorial prevention is not only simple and safe for patients, but also highly effective in the group of patients with high risk of postoperative thrombosis. The clinical diagnosis is unreliable and misleading with low sensitivity and specificity. (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 28.).