Abstract
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication in postoperative patients which can have life-threatening and debilitating consequences. Abdominoplasty has one of the highest rates of VTE of any plastic surgery procedure. The perceived risk for postoperative bleeding due to the large surface areas involved in abdominoplasty have led many surgeons to avoid using chemoprophylaxis in these patients. However, with the recent movement toward quality in healthcare and the popularization of “never events,” this topic has been reevaluated in the literature. Previous guidelines would recommend the use of SCDs in the OR with the optional use of unfractionated heparin postoperatively. Recent publications from several groups have shown efficacy and safety in postoperative use of low-molecular-weight heparin in high-risk groups. Our group recently evaluated the use of LMWH both pre- and postoperatively with no increase in bleeding complications or hematoma. Based on these findings, our current protocol is to give all patients undergoing abdominoplasty enoxaparin 40 mg SQ on call to the OR and once daily for 2 days postoperatively.
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Campbell, W.J., Mast, B.A. (2016). Maximizing Chemoprophylaxis Against Venous Thromboembolism in Abdominoplasty. In: Di Giuseppe, A., Shiffman, M. (eds) Aesthetic Plastic Surgery of the Abdomen. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20004-0_37
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20004-0_37
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