Prevalence of deep vein thrombosis with lower limb trauma patients

Abstract

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE), which consists of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism, is a potentially fatal condition. According to the Western literature, DVT of lower limb veins is one of the most common complications following surgeries for lower limb fractures and arthroplasty. Very few studies have been published from India on the subject and very little is known about the true prevalence in India. Material and Method: A study to determine the prevalence of DVT and its complication was done from September 2011 to June 2013 in 125 patients with lower limb trauma in Dhiraj General Hospital Piparia which is a tertiary care centre in a rural area. Results: In our series of 125 patients, 107 were male and 18 female (M:F=5.9:1). Out of them 6 patients were DVT positive (4.8%).Amongst them 3(2.4%) had proximal DVT and 3(2.4%) had distal DVT. Only 1 had pulmonary embolism. Out of 47 patients with periacetabular fractures, 4 (8.51%) developed DVT and Out of 8 patients with floating knee injury, 2 (25%) developed DVT. Combination of risk factors rather than a single risk factor had played important role for development of DVT in our study. Conclusion: Prevalence of DVT is low in Indian population thereby avoiding the need for chemoprophylaxis in all patients. However based on fracture geometry and co morbid conditions chemoprophylaxis may be justified in few individuals.