Abstract:

BACKGROUND: The incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) after knee replacement is 40% to 60%. The mortality of DVT-induced pulmonary embolism (PE) is 20% to 30%.
OBJECTIVE: To expatiate the etiology and treatment of lower extremity DVT following knee replacement as well as DVT-induced PE.
METHODS: A computer search of Wanfang and CNKI databases were retrieved for articles published between 2000 and 2010 using the keywords of “knee replacement, vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, etiology, prevention, treatment”.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Deep vein wall injury, slow blood flow and hypercoagulable state are three factors for vein thrombosis. High risk factors for lower extremity DVT include poor condition, other diseases, surgical trauma due to joint replacement, anesthesia method, operative time, fixation way and long-term bed rest. Lower extremity DVT and PE are the cause of high mobility and mortality in patients following joint replacement. Clinicians should perform a systematic assessment for DVT to take appropriate measures to minimize DVT incidence.