Failure in prophylactic management of thromboembolic disease in colorectal surgery

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Abstract
The operative courses of 294 selective consecutive colorectal resections were reviewed in order to evaluate the morbidity and mortality of postoperative thromboembolic complications. All patients received low-dose heparin prophylaxis. Fifty-seven patients were screened for deep venous thrombosis with the fibrinogen uptake test, and treatment of thromboembolism was started if the diagnosis was established by venography and/or pulmonary scintigraphy. Neither the morbidity nor mortality from clinical thromboembolic complications was lowered in the group of patients who were screened. Rectal surgery seems to carry a higher risk of postoperative thromboembolic complications than colon surgery, and thromboembolic complications are responsible for about half of the postoperative deaths following elective colorectal surgery.