Authors' objectives:

This aim of this report was to assess whether prophylactic routine anti-coagulant therapy should be used before and after hysterectomies when no other risk factors are known.

Authors' recommendations: After an exhaustive search scanning a wide variety of medical databases, no information was found on the aforementioned question. As a result, the question was expanded to include general gynaecological surgery in an attempt to retrieve relevant information. Many of the articles found that examined the relationship between thromboembolic complications and gynaecological surgery were methodologically sound but deemed inappropriate by the reviewer as they failed to answer the question. For interest sake, those articles explored the: - Risk factors for bleeding in major gynecological surgery and heparin thromboprophylaxis. - Relationship between utilisation of low molecular weight heparins in preventing venous thrombosis. - Effectiveness of the types of anti-coagulants for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. - Patients' risk factors in deciding the most appropriate anti-coagulation for the prevention of deep vein thrombosis. - Comparisons between low molecular weight heparin and unfractionated heparin in surgery.

Authors' methods: Review

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.med.monash.edu.au/healthservices/cce/evidence/

Year Published: 2000

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: Australia

Organisation Name: Centre for Clinical Effectiveness

Contact Address: Monash Institute of Health Services Research, Block E, Monash Medical Centre, Locked Bag 29, Clayton, Victoria 3168, Australia. Tel: +61 3 9594 7505; Fax: +61 3 9594 7552.

Contact Name: cce@med.monash.edu.au.

Contact Email: cce@med.monash.edu.au.

Copyright: Centre for Clinical Effectiveness (CCE)