Title
Risk of Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism Associated With Flying in the Early Postoperative Period Following Elective Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
Publication Date
2014
Journal Title
J Arthroplasty
Abstract
Air travel and total joint arthroplasty (TJA) are both risk factors for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Patients are counseled against flying after surgery, however the basis for this recommendation has not been investigated and may be unfounded. A retrospective cohort of 1465 consecutive TJA patients was divided into a study population of 220 patients (15.0%) who flew home at a mean of 2.9 days after surgery (range, 1-10 days) and a control population of 1245 patients (85.0%) who did not fly. We found no differences in the rate of deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or overall VTE between the groups, and incidence of all events was low in both groups and comparable with published data. Allowing air travel after TJA appears to be a safe practice. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Volume Number
29
Issue Number
6
Pages
1119-1122
Document Type
Article
EPub Date
2014/02/22
Status
Northwell Researcher
Facility
Northwell Health
Primary Department
Orthopedic Surgery
PMID
DOI
10.1016/j.arth.2014.01.005