Prevalence of pulmonary embolism after total elbow arthroplasty.

BACKGROUND Although numerous articles have addressed the risk of pulmonary embolism following total knee and total hip arthroplasty, we were unable to find comparable information for the risk following elbow arthroplasty. We therefore sought to determine the prevalence of pulmonary embolism after total elbow arthroplasty. METHODS We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of consecutive patients who had undergone primary elbow arthroplasty (816 procedures) or revision total elbow arthroplasty (260 procedures) at our tertiary-care academic medical institution between June 1981 and June 2001. Our purpose was to identify all patients in whom a pulmonary embolism developed after the surgery. RESULTS Three patients had a pulmonary embolism and one died as a result of the complication during the twenty-year study period. Because of a low index of suspicion, the presenting symptoms of the pulmonary embolus were originally attributed to other causes of respiratory distress in two of the three patients. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that pulmonary embolism after total elbow arthroplasty is a rare but potentially fatal complication. Surgeons should consider this diagnosis when a patient exhibits respiratory distress after total elbow arthroplasty.

[1]  R. Marx,et al.  Prevalence and Risk Factors for Symptomatic Thromboembolic Events after Shoulder Arthroplasty , 2006, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[2]  O. Dahl,et al.  Frequency and timing of clinical venous thromboembolism after major joint surgery. , 2006, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume.

[3]  C. Howie,et al.  Venous thromboembolism associated with hip and knee replacement over a ten-year period: a population-based study. , 2005, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. British volume.

[4]  Daniel C. Farber,et al.  THE JOHN CHARNLEY AWARD: Prevention of Readmission for Venous Thromboembolic Disease after Total Hip Arthroplasty , 2005, Clinical orthopaedics and related research.

[5]  B. Zicat,et al.  The prevalence of venous thromboembolism after hip and knee replacement surgery , 2005, The Medical journal of Australia.

[6]  M. Wirth,et al.  Warning: pulmonary embolism can occur after elective shoulder surgery-report of two cases and survey of the members of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. , 2003, Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery.

[7]  R. Cofield,et al.  Pulmonary Embolism Following Shoulder Arthroplasty , 2002, The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume.

[8]  D. Markel,et al.  Fatal pulmonary embolus after shoulder arthroplasty. , 2001, The Journal of arthroplasty.

[9]  W. Burkhead,et al.  Pulmonary embolism caused by thrombosis of the axillary vein after shoulder arthroplasty. , 1997, Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery.

[10]  Daniel C. Farber,et al.  Prevention of readmission for venous thromboembolic disease after total hip arthroplasty : The treatment of osteoarthritis of the hip 1920 , 2005 .