The Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients Undergoing Anterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Proposed Thromboprophylactic Regime.

Objective: To determine the safety and efficacy of the proposed venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis regime in patients undergoing anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) surgery.

Background: Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are recognized complications after spine surgery, with rates in the literature ranging from 0% to 14% with some form of prophylaxis. Pharmacological thromboprophylaxis can cause postoperative bleeding and hematomas, which can result in significant neural compromise or permanent injury, and wound complications.