LONDON, Dec 8, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- The post surgical risk for a
potentially fatal blood clot is higher and lasts longer than previously thought,
researchers in Britain said.
The findings, published in the British Medical Journal, suggests that there is a
substantially increased risk of venous thromboembolism -- blood clot -- after
many different types of surgery that lasts for up to 12 weeks post-operatively.
An international team of researchers examined the pattern of increased risk of
venous thromboembolism over time and after different types of surgery.
The findings are based on hospital admission and death records for 947,454
middle-age women in Britain recruited in 1996-2001 as part of the Million Women
Study. Each woman was tracked for an average of 6.2 years.
Compared with the risk without surgery, women were almost 70 times more likely
to be admitted with venous thromboembolism during the first six weeks after an
inpatient operation and almost 10 times more likely after a day case operation.
The risks were lower but still elevated 7-12 weeks after surgery, and in most
cases the risk remained for at least one year.
Alexander (Ander) Cohen, of King's College Hospital, in an accompanying
editorial, suggests the rates derived from this study "are probably much lower
than the true values, mainly because many blood clots are undiagnosed, untreated
and managed outside of the hospital.
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Copyright 2009 by United Press International