DVT is a very frequent complication of general surgery.
Heparin and, more recently, LMWHs can successfully prevent post surgical
thromboembolism. One thousand one hundred and twenty-two patients (533 males and 589 females; mean age 62.2 +/- 11.4 yrs) were enrolled in a multicentre controlled study, to evaluate the efficacy and safety of
enoxaparin in comparison to
calcium heparin in the prevention of
deep venous thrombosis (DVT) following general surgery. Patients assigned to the
enoxaparin and the
calcium heparin groups received 1 daily dose of 20 mg (2000 I.U.) and 2 daily doses of 0.2 ml (5000 I.U.), respectively starting 2 hours before the operation. Both drugs were given by subcutaneous route. A Doppler or Duplex Scan diagnosis of DVT was made in 3 (0.5%) patients in the
enoxaparin group (2 cases during treatment and 1 patient at the end of treatment) and in 6 (1.1%) patients in the
calcium heparin group (5 cases during treatment and 1, bilateral, after the end of treatment).
Pulmonary embolism (PE) was ascertained by angiography in 1 patient (0.18%) in the
enoxaparin group and in 2 patients (0.36%) in the
calcium heparin one. Hemorrhagic complications occurred in 29 patients (5.2%) in the
enoxaparin group and in 34 (6.1%) in the
calcium heparin group. Haematomas located in the injection site were reported in 16.1% and 25.3% in the
enoxaparin and
calcium heparin groups respectively (p = 0.0001). Local
pain in the injection site at the 5th day of treatment was reported in 8.4% and 16.6% in the
enoxaparin and
calcium heparin groups respectively (p = 0.0001).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)