Venous thromboembolism in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery. METHODS: This was a single-institution, retrospective cohort: 134 patients underwent resection and simultaneous microvascular reconstruction. The primary endpoint was identification of confirmed or suspicious VTE within 30 days of surgery. RESULTS: Two subjects (1.4%) with confirmed VTE (1 pulmonary embolism, 1 deep venous thrombosis) and 6 subjects (4.4%) with suspicious VTE (1 acute respiratory failure, 1 sudden cardiac arrest, and 4 cases of leg edema without imaging) were identified. The strongest predictors of possible VTE were prior VTE (p = .004; odds ratio [OR], 25.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-556.40), red cell transfusion (p = .009; OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.16-2.80), high body mass index (p = .015, OR, 1.29, 95% CI, 1.05-1.58), and older age (p = .046; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.19). CONCLUSION: The incidence of VTE in patients with head and neck cancer after resection and microvascular reconstruction ranged from 1.4% to 5.8%.