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The Risk of Thromboembolism in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery

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Summary

Patients undergoing colorectal surgical procedures are at a moderately high risk for the development of thromboembolic events. Possible reasons may be that the procedures tend to be long in duration, patients are often placed in the lithotomy position, a pelvic dissection may be performed, and the indication is often inflammatory bowel disease or cancer. While prophylaxis with low dose heparin is effective at reducing this risk, approximately 10% of patients may still develop a thromboembolic event. Results on the effectiveness of low molecular weight heparin in this cohort of patients are pending.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General and Colorectal Surgery, Mount Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Robin S. McLeod

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  1. Robin S. McLeod
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McLeod, R.S. The Risk of Thromboembolism in Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery. Drugs 52 (Suppl 7), 38–41 (1996). https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199600527-00007

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2165/00003495-199600527-00007

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