Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study of TKA cases submitted to the Michigan Arthroplasty Registry Collaborative Quality Initiative at 29-member hospitals. The study comprised 41,537 patients who underwent primary TKA between April 1, 2013, and Oct. 31, 2015.
One-third of the patients took aspirin alone, 54.5 percent took only an anticoagulant and 13 percent took a combination of an aspirin and anticoagulant.
Over 90 days, a VTE event occurred in 573 patients. Only 1.16 percent of aspirin-only patients developed a serious blood clot, compared with 1.42 percent of anticoagulant-treated patients . For patients prescribed an aspirin and anticoagulation combination, 1.31 percent suffered a VTE event.
Bleeding occurred in 0.90 percent of aspirin patients, compared to 1.14 percent of anticoagulation patients and 1.35 percent of patients receiving both treatments.
“Aspirin is easy to take and much less expensive,” said lead study author Brian R. Hallstrom, MD, orthopedic surgeon and associate chair for quality and safety at Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan, in a Michigan Health Lab article. “Patients can get it over the counter for pennies while the other anticoagulants require monitoring, injections, frequent dose adjustments and are extremely expensive.”
More articles on orthopedics:
Court overturns ruling in orthopedic medical malpractice case –– 7 things to know
University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics orthopedic surgeons complete medical mission in Honduras: 3 notes
Orthopedic surgeon to know: Dr. Todd Dietrick of Congress Orthopaedic Associates
