Routine venous thromboembolism screening after pneumonectomy: The more you look, the more you see

OBJECTIVES:Symptomatic venous thromboembolism (VTE) after pneumonectomy is associated with poor prognosis. We describe a new care pathway for patients undergoing pneumonectomy in which asymptomatic lower-extremity VTE screening was performed to determine if it increases VTE detection and potentially decreases sequelae. METHODS:112 patients underwent pneumonectomy from 2006 to 2013 at Cleveland Clinic and were enrolled in a care pathway that included VTE prophylaxis and routine, predischarge, lower-extremity VTE screening. These data were contrasted with a previously published cohort of 336 patients (1990-2001) who underwent pneumonectomy without routine VTE screening. RESULTS:10 of 112 patients (8.9%) had VTE detected by screening before discharge. An additional 4 patients (3.6%) with a negative predischarge screen developed symptomatic VTE within 30 days. Six patients (5.4%) developed VTE after pneumonectomy beyond the first 30 days. Prevalence of in-hospital VTE in the screened cohort was significantly higher than that of the non-screened cohort (3.0%; P = .008). Similarly, VTE within 30 days in the screened cohort (13%) was significantly higher than in the nonscreened cohort (5.0%; P = .007). In both cohorts, a peak was observed approximately 6 days after pneumonectomy and plateaued after 30 days. The presence of a VTE portended worse long-term survival: 66% at 1 year versus 85% for those not developing a VTE. CONCLUSIONS:Prevalence of VTE after pneumonectomy is higher than previously thought. The risk of developing a VTE peaks at 6 days after pneumonectomy, and remains increased until 30 days, suggesting a need for additional screening or longer prophylaxis.