Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Jan 31:22925503251315490.
doi: 10.1177/22925503251315490. Online ahead of print.

Decreasing Venous Thromboembolism With Anticoagulation in Plastic Surgery

Michael J Stein  1 , Christopher Pannucci  2
Affiliations

Decreasing Venous Thromboembolism With Anticoagulation in Plastic Surgery

Michael J Stein et al. Plast Surg (Oakv). .

Abstract
in English, French

Introduction: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a devastating complication in aesthetic plastic surgery. Plastic surgeons are advised to approach VTE prevention proactively by modifying the perioperative risk profile of their patients. Herein, the authors review the evidence of pharmacologic prevention of VTE in plastic surgery, caution surgeons that blanket treatment based on Caprini score alone should be avoided, and advocate for case-by-case individualized therapy for every patient. Methods: A review of evidence for the pharmacologic prevention of VTE in plastic surgery was performed. Results/Conclusion: A proactive approach to VTE prevention can be achieved by employing both nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic evidence-based interventions. While the choice to use anticoagulation medications should be guided by calculation of a Caprini score for each patient, surgeons should continue to maintain their clinical judgment to prevent complications from over and under treatment.

Introduction : La thromboembolie veineuse (TEV) est une complication dévastatrice en chirurgie esthétique. Il est conseillé aux chirurgiens plasticiens d’aborder la prévention de la TEV de manière proactive en modifiant le profil de risque périopératoire de leurs patients. Dans le présent document, les auteurs analysent les données probantes sur la prévention pharmacologique de la TEV en chirurgie plastique, avisent les chirurgiens d’éviter un traitement général en se fiant seulement au score de Caprini et préconisent un traitement personnalisé pour chaque patient en fonction de chaque cas. Méthodologie : Les chercheurs ont effectué une analyse des données probantes pour la prévention pharmacologique de la TEV en chirurgie plastique. Résultats et conclusion : Il est possible d’adopter une approche proactive de la prévention de la TEV grâce à des interventions non pharmacologiques et pharmacologiques fondées sur des données probantes. Le choix d’utiliser des médicaments anticoagulants devrait dépendre du calcul d’un score de Caprini par patient, mais les chirurgiens devraient continuer de se fier à leur jugement clinique pour prévenir les complications découlant d’un traitement excessif ou insuffisant.

Keywords: DVT; prevention; safety; thrombosis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Pannucci CJ, Stein MJ. Decrease venous thromboembolism without anticoagulation in plastic surgery: the paradigm of risk identification, risk modification, and risk reduction. Plastic Surgery. 2023;0(0). doi:10.1177/2292550323121087651 - DOI
    1. Caprini JA. Thrombosis risk assessment as a guide to quality patient care. Dis Mon. 2005;51:70–78. 10.1016/j.disamonth.2005.02.003 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pannucci CJ, Swistun L, MacDonald JK, Henke PK, Brooke BS. Individualized venous thromboembolism risk stratification using the 2005 Caprini score to identify the benefits and harms of chemoprophylaxis in surgical patients: a meta-analysis. Ann Surg. 2017;265(6):1094–1103. - PubMed
    1. Winocour J, Gupta V, Kaoutzanis C, et al. Venous thromboembolism in the cosmetic patient: analysis of 129,007 patients. Aesthet Surg J. 2017;37:337–349. - PubMed
    1. Pannucci CJ, Barta RJ, Portschy PR, et al. Assessment of postoperative venous thromboembolism risk in plastic surgery patients using the 2005 and 2010 Caprini risk score. Plast Reconstr Surg. 2012;130:343–353. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources