Effects of fondaparinux on wound drainage after total hip and knee arthroplasty

Zachary C Lum; Rene A Monzon; Jose Bosque; Sheldon Coleman; Gavin C Pereira; Paul E Di Cesare

doi:10.1016/j.jor.2018.03.003

Effects of fondaparinux on wound drainage after total hip and knee arthroplasty

J Orthop. 2018 Mar 17;15(2):388-390. doi: 10.1016/j.jor.2018.03.003. eCollection 2018 Jun.

Authors

Zachary C Lum¹, Rene A Monzon¹, Jose Bosque¹, Sheldon Coleman¹, Gavin C Pereira¹, Paul E Di Cesare¹

Affiliation

¹ University of California: Davis Medical Center, Adult Reconstruction, Department of Orthopaedics, 4860 Y Street, Suite #3800, Sacramento, CA 95817, United States.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this investigation was to determine the effects of fondaparinux on postoperative wound drainage, length of hospital stay (LOS) and rate of surgical site infection in total joint patients.

Methods: 117 patients undergoing total joint arthroplasty treated with fondaparinux for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis were prospectively studied.

Results: The average time to a dry wound was 3.4 days, with an average LOS of 3.77 days. Perioperative complications included 2 cases each of superficial cellulitis, deep vein thrombosis, and pulmonary embolism; there were no cases of deep infection. Multi-variate analysis showed increased patient BMI increased LOS (p = 0.0169).

Conclusion: Fondaparinux is an effective drug for VTE prophylaxis in total joint arthroplasty with wound drainage and LOS comparable to historical controls of enoxaparin, warfarin, and rivaroxaban.

Keywords: Anticoagulation in arthroplasty; Arixtra; Fondaparinux; Length of stay; Surgical site infections; Wound drainage in total joint arthroplasty.