Post Surgery Clots

Overview

Blood clots in the veins in the legs or pelvis (DVT) can migrate to the lung (pulmonary embolism – PE), which can prove fatal (Cause Death). This can happen after any surgery, and it continues to pose a risk for about three weeks, but chances of such a complication is less than 1%, but because  it is a serious complication, we follow all protocols and take all measures to minimise the risks. Blood thinning medication may be given to patients,  stockings to compress the legs and while a patient is sound asleep in the operating theatre, machines will be used to squeeze the blood out from the legs. These machines continue to be used in the ward when you are in bed and we encourage you to get up and walk about the ward as soon as possible. The risk of DVT is about 1:200 and the risk of pulmonary embolism about 1:1000. If you are identified as a high-risk candidate, we may have to put you on blood thinning injections for longer to minimise the risk.