Effectiveness of intraoperative administration of intermittent pneumatic compression in preventing deep vein thrombosis in lung cancer patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery lobectomy.

Wang, Xiaojun; Song, Saiqi; Ni, Ruijie; Lu, Min; Mao, Yanjun

Background This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) in the prevention of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in lung cancer patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) lobectomy. Methods This study included 495 lung cancer patients undergoing VATS from March 2018 to November 2018. Patients were randomly assigned to an IPC group or a control group using sealed envelopes containing a slip indicating the allocation. IPC calf sleeves were applied to both legs during the surgery. All patients were subjected to D-dimer and echo color-Doppler detection pre- and postoperatively. The incidences of DVT were compared between the two groups. Results While D-dimer levels failed to show any significant difference between the two groups, the incidence of DVT showed significant difference with respect to the ultrasonographic features of the thrombi. Intraoperative administration of IPC significantly reduced the risk of DVT compared with no mechanical prophylaxis (P<0.0001). No complications related to IPC occurred. Conclusions Intraoperative administration of IPC was effective in preventing postoperative DVT in lung cancer patients undergoing VATS.