Venous thromboembolism in laparoscopic surgery

Abstract

Currently there are limited randomized data regarding thromboprophylaxis in laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this article is to identify principles to guide safe practice with regard to prevention of venous thromboembolism. With the exception of laparoscopic cholecystectomy, there are no prospective, randomized studies comparing the incidence of venous thromboembolism between a conventional procedure and a laparoscopic procedure for the same operation. Surveys of surgical practice indicate that policies for venous thromboembolism prophylaxis in laparoscopic surgery are generally the same as those for conventional surgery. The increasing use of a minimal access approach for a variety of abdominal, pelvic, and thoracic procedures demands further prospective, randomized studies in this area. Current guidelines endorsed by The Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons recommend following the adoption of protocols used in conventional surgery for the equivalent laparoscopic operation, and the European Association for Endoscopic Surgery has recommended the use of intraoperative intermittent pneumatic compression of the lower extremities for all prolonged laparoscopic procedures. There is only limited evidence to support these recommendations. Venous thromboembolism is an important and preventable complication in surgical patients. Evidence does not exist to consider laparoscopic surgery patients to be at a substantially lower risk for venous thromboembolism than those undergoing conventional procedures. Currently there is a lack of data regarding the prophylaxis against venous thromboembolism in laparoscopic surgery, and the practice is thus opinion based. The authors recommend that the use of standard prophylactic regimens tailored to specific patient populations for conventional operations be adopted for laparoscopic surgery until prospective data are available.