A study published in the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery evaluated 37,223 patients undergoing knee replacement surgery and looked for evidence of post-surgical embolism up to 90 days after surgery. The authors found 441 patients, or 1.2 percent, were hospitalized for pulmonary embolism during that period.
The study examined patients from 1997-2007 and found that the number of patients admitted with clots following knee surgery has increased during that time, but may be due to the advances in diagnosis which allow surgeons to detect the problem earlier. Patients can reduce the risk of pulmonary embolism by replacing only one knee at a time instead of both.
Read the release about pulmonary embolism after joint replacement.
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AAOS: Risk of Pulmonary Embolism in Joint Replacement High Even After Taking Precautions
Written by Laura Miller | July 27, 2011
Pulmonary embolisms are a common risk associated with hip and knee replacement procedures, and the risk is still relatively high even after patients are treated with blood thinners prior to and immediately following joint replacement surgery, according to a news release from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
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