Practice patterns in prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis among US orthopedic surgeons.

Thromboembolic disease meets all the criteria of a major public health problem. Some studies have estimated that up to 200,000 Americans die each year as a result of pulmonary embolism. Furthermore, at least 50% of these people had an otherwise very good prognosis and should not have died. Thus, about 100,000 deaths from pulmonary embolism are preventable. This study indicates that, while primary prophylaxis is almost universal among orthopedic surgeons, very few practice secondary prevention, which could be the reason for the large number of deaths attributed to thromboembolic disease.