Combined (mechanical and pharmacological) modalities for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in joint replacement surgery

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The meta-analysis and systematic review identified 6 randomized controlled trials that compared the effectiveness of using combined modalities versus the intermittent mechanical compression or anticoagulants in isolation, in the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing hip or knee arthroplasty. A total of 1399 patients were identified from these studies. Results from the analysis indicate that the use of intermittent mechanical compression, combined with anticoagulants, results in a reduced rate of DVTs. Pulmonary embolism was a very infrequent occurrence in all groups, and the combination of modalities had no demonstrable effect on its occurrence.