• BACKGROUND
    • This study examines the incidence and risk of postoperative symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) after orthopaedic foot/ankle surgery.
  • MATERIALS
    • Patients that received foot/ankle surgery between 2006 and 2016 were reviewed. Inclusion criteria were surgical patients that were without coagulopathy, previous VTE, and/or using anticoagulation medications including aspirin. Age, sex, body mass index, medical comorbidities, and surgical diagnosis and procedure(s) were noted. Records were reviewed to see who developed a symptomatic VTE within 90 days from surgery.
  • RESULTS
    • This study involved 2774 patients that received foot/ankle surgery between 2006 and 2016. Of them, 22 (0.79%) developed a VTE within 90 days from surgery. The mean age of these patients was 49.5 years. Twelve patients were male and 10 were female. Sixteen patients were obese and 6 were nonobese. Postoperative VTEs were 14 infrapopliteal deep vein thrombosis (DVT), 1 suprapopliteal DVT, and 7 pulmonary emboli. The most common surgeries involved were ankle fracture repair in 8 (0.29%), Achilles tendon repair in 2 (0.07%), ankle ligament reconstruction in 2, and hammer-toe correction in 2 patients. Obesity was predictive of a postoperative VTE to a statistically significant degree (P = .04). Age, sex, medical comorbidities, diagnosis, and type of surgery were not significantly prognostic for a postsurgical VTE (P ≥ .05).
  • DISCUSSION
    • The incidence of VTE after foot/ankle surgery is low. However, obese patients are at significantly higher risk for VTE after such procedures.
  • CLINICAL RELEVANCE
    • These findings are important when educating patients as to their risks of developing a VTE after orthopaedic foot/ankle surgery.
  • LEVELS OF EVIDENCE
    • Level III: Retrospective cohort study.