A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXPLORING VTE PROPHYLAXIS IN BARIATRIC SURGERY: IS HIGHER DOSE OF HEPARIN MORE EFFECTIVE? nszeqing@yahoo.com

 

A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW EXPLORING VTE PROPHYLAXIS IN BARIATRIC SURGERY: IS HIGHER DOSE OF HEPARIN MORE EFFECTIVE?

1

United Kingdom

Oral or Poster

Obesity is a complex condition characterised by the over-accumulation of adipose tissues in the body. Bariatric surgery is an efficient approach to managing obesity; nevertheless, like any surgeries, it carries risks. One of the most worrying complications is the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) post-operatively. Therefore, pharmacological prophylaxis is essential in preventing the occurrence of VTE in bariatric surgery patients.

A literature search was conducted across five databases: Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews, PubMed and Google Scholar. This search yielded four randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and two systematic reviews. Key outcomes included the incidence of postoperative VTE events, bleeding events, anti-factor Xa levels and the safety profile of heparin.

Three RCTs demonstrated no significant difference between higher- and lower-dose heparin in preventing VTE events, with both doses showing similar bleeding risks. Two RCTs found that higher-dose heparin was more effective in achieving the prophylactic anti-factor Xa level compared to the lower-dose heparin. The review also found that heparin had a good safety profile when use for VTE prophylaxis in bariatric surgery patients.

Heparin has been shown to be effective in VTE prophylaxis following bariatric surgery. However, due to the lacking of official VTE prophylaxis guidelines for bariatric surgery in the UK, developing standardised protocols would be beneficial. Further research focusing on different bariatric surgery types is required for a more effective dosage regimen.