Incidence of venous thromboembolism and hemorrhage in Chinese patients after pulmonary lobectomy: mechanical prophylaxis or mechanical prophylaxis combined with pharmacological prophylaxis: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and postoperative bleeding are important complications of lung resection surgery. We investigated the preventive effect of mechanical prophylaxis versus pharmacological prophylaxis after lobectomy, and evaluated the effect of both on the incidence of hemorrhagic events. METHODS: A prospective study of 424 lobectomies with moderate to high risk of VTE (Caprini risk score <5) in a single center was performed from April 2020 to March 2021. Patients were 1:1 randomly allocated to mechanical prophylaxis or to the low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH)-combination-prophylaxis. The incidence of postoperative thrombotic and bleeding events and relevant factors of the two groups were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 410 participants, with 202 and 208 in the mechanical prophylaxis and LMWH-combination-prophylaxis groups respectively, were selected for analysis. Both groups had similar baseline and clinical characteristics. There were no cases of VTE or major bleeding during the study, but the incidence rate of minor bleeding in the LMWH-combination-prophylaxis group was significantly higher than mechanical prophylaxis group [odds ratio (OR) 0.035, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.011–0.113]. CONCLUSIONS: A case-by-case risk assessment of VTE and hemorrhage remains necessary to determine the most appropriate method of thrombosis prophylaxis for patients undergoing pulmonary surgery. Mechanical prophylaxis may be preferable for lung cancer patients with moderate to high risk of VTE (Caprini risk score <5) undergoing lobectomy. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry ChiCTR2100051073.