Deep Vein Thrombosis despite Receiving Anticoagulant Prophylaxis; a Cross-sectional Study

Contradicting statistics exist regarding the prevalence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following lower limb trauma despite administration of anti-thrombotic agents. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of DVT in patients with lower limb trauma despite receiving anticoagulant prophylaxis.
The present crosssectional study was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of traumatic lower limbs DVT despite anti-thrombotic therapy, in patients presenting to emergency department. Patients over 18 years old with traumas in the areas lower than knees in need for fixation with cast or splint for > 2 weeks were enrolled. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and descriptive statistics.
130 patients with the mean age of 40.05 ± 18.5 (15-92) were studied (61.5% male). 18 (13.8%) cases had history of drug abuse, 1 (0.8%) had diabetes mellitus, 8 (6.2%) had hypertension, 1 (0.8%) had asthma, and 1 (0.8%) had history of cranial vascular thrombosis. Mechanism of trauma was falling down in 44 (33.8%) cases, road traffic collisions in 50 (38.5%), and direct trauma in 36 (27.7%). 3 (2.3%) patients developed DVT despite receiving prophylactic anti-thrombotic agents. The mean time interval between discharge and development of DVT was 6 ± 3.6 days.
Based on the results of the present study, the prevalence of DVT, despite receiving anti-thrombotic agents, in patients with lower limb trauma in need for fixation for > 2 weeks was 2.3%. All three cases of DVT in this study were developed in the first 2 weeks of fixation.