Authors’ Disclosure Statement: This study was supported by the University of Utah Study Design and Biostatistics Center, with funding in part from the National Center for Research Resources and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health.
VTE after SA is rare. In our single-institution study, the symptomatic DVT rate was 0.9%, and the symptomatic PE rate was 2.3%. Risk factors associated with clotting included prior VTE, higher BMI, lower preoperative and postoperative Hb levels, raised CCI, diabetes, use of GETA without interscalene nerve block, and revision SA. Risk factors can be used to identify patients who may benefit from a more scrutinized postoperative evaluation and from increased surgeon awareness of the potential for VTE development. Rates of VTE can be used to counsel SA patients regarding overall surgical risks.
Am J Orthop. 2016;45(6):E379-E385. Copyright Frontline Medical Communications Inc. 2016. All rights reserved.
