Risk factors for venous thromboembolism after primary total joint arthroplasty: An analysis of 7511 Taiwanese patients.

Background: The need for thromboprophylaxis in Asian patients after primary total joint arthroplasty (TJA) remains inconclusive. We aimed to identify the risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE) events following primary TJA in a Taiwanese population.

Methods: From January 2010 to December 2019, we studied 7511 patients receiving primary TJA from a single surgeon. We validated the incidence and risk factors for 30- and 90-day symptomatic VTE events, including age, sex, body mass index (BMI), smoking, medical comorbidities, VTE history, presence of varicose veins, total knee arthroplasty (TKA) vs total hip arthroplasty (THA), unilateral vs bilateral procedure and receipt of VTE prophylaxis, transfusion, and length of stay.

Results: The incidence of 30- and 90-day symptomatic VTE events was 0.33% and 0.44%, respectively. Multivariate regression analysis showed that BMI ≥30 (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 4.862, 95% CI, 1.776-13.313), bilateral TJA procedure (aOR: 2.665, 95% CI, 1.000-7.104), and presence of varicose veins (aOR: 9.946, 95% CI, 1.099-90.024) were associated with increased odds of 30-day symptomatic VTE events. Age ≥77 years (aOR, 2.358, 95% CI, 1.034-5.381) and BMI ≥30 (aOR: 2.832, 95% CI, 1.039-7.721) were associated with increased odds of 90-day symptomatic VTE events.

Conclusions: Age ≥77 years, BMI ≥30, bilateral TJA procedure, or presence of varicose veins may require pharmacological thromboprophylaxis because such patients have a higher risk of VTE after primary TJA.