Introduction
thrombosis, Hospital-associated thrombosis, VTE, venous thromboembolism, Deterrent, HAT
THROMBOSIS, EVENT
Hospital-associated thrombosis (HAT) is defined as any venous thromboembolism (VTE)-related event during a hospital admission or occurring up to 90 days post discharge Previously, UK annual VTE-related mortality was estimated to be 32 000 fatalities if thromboprophylaxis was not used, with associated costs of £640 million per annum.Mechanical thromboprophylaxis in the form of graduated compression stockings (GCS), also known by a brand name ThromboEmbolic Deterrent,Limited evidence is available on the rate of HAT in low-risk surgical patients. In the UK, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for the prevention of VTE published in 2007 previously recommended that all surgical patients should receive GCS to reduce the risk of VTE, irrespective of the absence of thrombosis risk factors.The evidence to support GCS for short-stay ambulant patients is poor. A systematic reviewMoreover, the UK National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment-funded GAPS trial, assessing the use of GCS in addition to LMWH for the prevention of VTE in moderate and high-risk (ie, not low risk) elective surgical patients, demonstrating that LMWH alone was non-inferior to dual thromboprophylaxis with LMWH and GCS, has further drawn the role of GCS in the prevention of VTE in surgery into question.Hence, due to this paucity of evidence to support the use of GCS in the prevention of VTE for low VTE risk surgical patients, an adequately powered trial is required to provide evidence in relation to this practice.