Venous Thromboembolic Risk Factors and Management of Prophylaxis in Elective Gynecologic Surgery Patients

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess thromboembolic risk factors and prophylaxis in patients undergoing elective gynecologic surgery. Patients and methods: This was a descriptive longitudinal approach with prospective data collection, from January to June 2021 in the intensive care and gynecology departments of the Yaoundé Gynaeco-Obstetric and Pediatric Hospital. The studied variables were socio- demographic data, indications for surgery, risk factors related to the patient and those related to surgery (according to the modified Caprini score), and the principles of thromboprophylaxis. The collected data were entered using CS Pro 7.0 software and analyzed by Epi-info software version 3.5.4. Results: We recruited 84 patients. The mean age was 45.1±10.2 years. The risk factors found were cancer (41.5%), obesity (32.1%) and hypertension (13.2%). The high global risk was found in 40 cases (47.6%) followed by the very high global risk with 28 cases (33.3%). All patients benefited from early mobilization while 69% used compression stockings. In the overall population, enoxaparin was used alone in 84 cases (100%) and in combination with stockings in 58 cases (69.1%). In the high-risk population (n=68), enoxaparin was used in all the cases and in combination in 48 cases (70.5%). Six thromboembolic events were recorded. Conclusion: VTE prophylaxis should be administered according to recognized guidelines to avoid inadequate prophylaxis. It is well codified. It reduced VTE events.