Prevention of perioperative venous thromboembolism in orthopedics department

As a very common disease during hospitalization, venous thromboembolism (VTE) is identified as the primary reason of unanticipated death and perioperative death after orthopedic surgery. It shows a high incidence in orthopedic diseases, especially in various kinds of trauma, joint replacement, spinal cord injury and so on. Currently, the general understanding of VTE is still inadequate among medical staff in China. Even VTE is diagnosed in time, many patients are disabled or dead as the intensity and duration of anticoagulation therapy is not standardized, which has seriously affected prevention of VTE and now becomes a research hotspot in Chinese medical community. For the high incidence of VTE in orthopedics, it is very necessary for medical staffs to know prevention and treatment of VTE and the establishment of its preventive system. It is of great significance for hospital administrators and medical staffs to strengthen their knowledge of VTE which may help them to build a scientific prevention system and make a comprehensive screening, so as to reduce the number of hospital-acquired VTE and deaths. This paper describes the thromboprophylaxis system, VTE prevention and treatment in orthopedic department.