A COMPARISON OF LOW‐DOSE SUBCUTANEOUS HEPARIN AND INTRAVENOUS DEXTRAN 70 IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF DEEP VENOUS THROMBOSIS AFTER GYNAECOLOGICAL SURGERY

Abstract

Summary In a prospective randomized trial, 132 patients were treated with subcutaneous heparin or intravenous dextran 70 in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis after gynaecological surgery. The two groups were evenly matched for factors predis‐posing to deep vein thrombosis. The incidence of deep vein thrombosis as detected by the 125 I‐labelIed fibrinogen test was 10.9 per cent in the heparin‐treated group and 16.2 per cent in the dextran‐treated group; this difference was not significant. Two patients with complicated postoperative courses, one in each treatment group, developed pulmonary emboli. Only one had a positive 125 I‐labelled fibrino‐gen test. Both prophylactic regimes were successful in reducing the incidence of minor thrombosis in the legs but may not reduce the incidence of pulmonary embolism.