Life Threating Blood Clots After Surgery.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Researchers in the United Kingdom have discovered that the risk of getting life-threatening blood clots after surgery is higher than experts had previously thought. They also found that the risk remained higher than average for up to 12 weeks after surgery.

Dr. Sian Sweetland and colleagues from The Cancer Epidemiology Unit at the University of Oxford conducted the study based on data collected as part of the Million Women Study; their findings were published in a December 2009 online issue of the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal.

The researchers followed almost 950,000 women for an average of 6.2 years. The average age of the participants was 56 years, and the majority were postmenopausal and had similar lifestyles when they first enrolled in the study.

The women were divided into two groups: those who had post-operative surgery, and those who did not. Researchers examined hospital records of both groups for instances of blood clots during the 12-week period following their surgeries. They looked at hospital admissions for two types of clots: deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolisms—clots affecting blood vessels in the lungs. They also looked at the incidence of blood clots within different types of surgery. Post-operative blood clots can form if patients cannot move for significant periods of time, among other reasons. These clots can grow and travel to the lungs, where they can become life-threatening.

One alarming finding of the study was that the risk of getting blood clots in the first 6 weeks after inpatient surgery was nearly 70 times higher than it was for those who did not undergo surgery, and the risk remained higher than average for at least 12 weeks after surgery.These new findings are "a wake-up call to all surgeons," Dr. Alexander T. Cohen, from King's College Hospital, London, writes in a related editorial. He also feels that doctors should consider taking preventive measures for longer than they typically do, for more patients.

Wearing compression stockings is an effective way to prevent blood clots and keep legs healthy when sitting for long periods of time. Doctors often prescribe compression therapy garments as part of a patient’s post-operative recovery regimen. In a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Jeffrey S. Ginsberg, M.D., FRCPC, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, stated, “…compression stockings are a relatively inexpensive, noninvasive way to reduce risk of complications from DVT, and physicians and patients should consider using them.” Additionally, the results of a randomized trial, published in the same journal, reported that wearing knee-high compression stockings after the discovery of a Deep Vein Thrombosis condition reduced the incidence of complications by nearly 50% for up to two years.

Since 1912, Julius Zorn, Inc. has been a pioneer of new technologies, whether it’s designing a more comfortable garment or incorporating other technological advances such as our FiberSoft™ technology. Our philosophy has always been that medical garments should not inhibit a person’s lifestyle. We have led the compression therapy garment industry in creating a high quality product that offers its customers freedom in motion and, in turn, the freedom to maintain their active lifestyle.