The Efficacy of a Single Daily Dose of Enoxaparin for Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis Following Total Knee Arthroplasty

Abstract

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a major risk following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This prospective outcomes study evaluates the efficacy of enoxaparin 40 mg once daily for 7 days after TKA, by documenting symptomatic and asymptomatic outcomes using bilateral lower extremity duplex ultrasound upon hospital discharge and on postoperative day 21 (±2). In 60 extremities, duplex ultrasound demonstrated a DVT prevalence of 16.7% (10) on the day of discharge and of 1 1 .7% (7) on postoperative day 21 . No new DVT or propagation of distal to proximal DVT were noted. For this small cohort, enoxaparin 40 mg daily demonstrates effective prophylaxis for DVT in TKA patients.