The Prevention of Postoperative Pulmonary Embolism

INTEREST in venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism has received great impetus in the past eight years by the simultaneous development of two methods of treatment — namely, venous section and ligation and anticoagulant therapy by heparin or dicumarol or by a combination of these anticoagulants. Unfortunately, in many minds the two methods have become competitive, whereas they should be complementary. There are definite indications for both procedures. It is readily conceivable that in many hospitals where adequate laboratory and clinical experience in the use of dicumarol is lacking, a precise and absolute control of the situation by femoral ligation is . . .