Venous thromboembolism in non surgical patients requiring below-knee casting: incidence and risk factors

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with non-surgical lower limb injury, and below-knee casting, and to determine the risk factors associated with the development of that condition. Methods: A retrospective study, held at a tertiary private hospital, using charts of all patients who had a prescription of below-knee immobilization at the Emergency Unit in 2011. Complementary data was collected by telephone call. The statistical analysis was based in the descriptive presentation of the data, distribution of the categorical variables and using non-parametric tests to correlate dichotomous variables: Phi and Cramer’s V, and the Chi-square. Results: There was an incidence of 2.3% (95% CI: 0-5%) of symptomatic VTE in non-surgical patients with below-knee casting. The analysis by the correlation of the variables and the presence or absence of venous thromboembolism showed pConclusion: It is necessary to enlarge the sample to better assess the significance of these correlations and identify patients who would benefit from chemoprophylaxis