Subclinical Deep Vein Thrombosis; Role of Color Doppler Ultrasonography before Bariatric Surgery

Background and Aim: Obesity increases risk of venous thromboembolism due to increase in coagulation factors. Screening for deep vein thrombosis (DVT) before bariatric surgery can minimize the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in these patients. This study aimed to determine the importance of color Doppler ultrasound before bariatric surgery to detect subclinical deep vein thrombosis in the patients. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive cohort study. The study population included candidates for bariatric surgery admitted to Modares and Loghman hospitals in Tehran (a bariatric surgery center in Iran) between March-20 and September-20, 2021. Patients were followed up for 30 days after surgery. Census sampling was used. Data were finally entered into SPSS-23 statistical software and analyzed by descriptive tests. Results: Among 125 patients in this study, 85 (64%) were woman. The patient’s mean and standard deviation of age and Body Mass Index were 33.68 ± 6.8 and 43.15 ± 4.9, respectively. Before surgery, all patients were evaluated for subclinical DVT and the results of the study showed that none of the patients had any evidence in favor of DVT. After the surgery, the patients underwent regular follow-ups for a month, but no positive cases of deep vein thrombosis were reported. Conclusion: In our study thromboembolic problems were rare in patients before obesity surgery. Therefore, routine ultrasound examination before surgery does not seem reasonable.