[Initial clinical experiences with low molecular weight heparin in the prevention of thrombosis in orthopedic surgery].

This is a report on almost 10 years of experience with heparin prophylaxis in orthopaedic surgery, especially on the changeover from the high molecular heparin dihydergot used previously, to the low molecular heparin dihydergot (Embolex) while changing over at the same time from the previously well-tried and successful postoperative initiation of treatment to preoperative start of prophylaxis. Compared with the period before prophylaxis (1965-1977) with 24 fatal pulmonary embolisms, no fatal pulmonary embolisms have occurred in our hospital since prophylaxis was introduced (1978). Changeover to low molecular heparin with only one instead of three injections daily was fundamentally welcomed although preoperative onset of prophylaxis involved a considerable rise in afterbleeding complications. Hence we recently adopted the procedure of conducting prophylaxis with low molecular heparin (as was done previously with success using high molecular heparin) postoperatively; this resulted in a dramatic reduction of bleeding complications while protection against thrombosis is obviously clinically satisfactory. Postoperative initiation of prophylaxis is therefore recommended in case of major orthopaedic surgery.