Aspirin alone effectively prevents blood clots after TKA, study finds

Orthopedic

Aspirin alone may be as effective as other anticoagulants in preventing venous thromboembolism in patients after total knee arthroplasty, according to a study in JAMA Surgery.

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."

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Webinars

Featured Podcast

Featured Whitepapers