The Incidence of Proximal Deep Vein Thrombosis following Total Knee Arthroplasty in an Asian Population: A Doppler Ultrasound Study

PURPOSE: To investigate the incidence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) following total knee arthroplasty in an Asian population. METHODS: A prospective study of 149 consecutive cases of total knee arthroplasty done for osteoarthritis was conducted over a 5-year period. All patients underwent duplex ultrasonographic assessment of the lower limbs within the first postoperative week. RESULTS: The incidence of proximal DVT was found to be 4.38% in this study. Symptomology was statistically significant in predicting the presence of proximal DVT in all cases. General anaesthesia was associated with a statistically significant-higher incidence of DVT as compared with regional anaesthesia. There was a significant association between a sedentary lifestyle and the development of DVT. CONCLUSION: The incidence of proximal DVT in Asian patients after total knee arthroplasty is higher than that previously reported for this demographic group.