RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: A reduced platelet count (PLT) is a frequent post-operative finding in orthopedic surgery patients. Despite its prevalence, the characteristics of post-surgical thrombocytopenia have not been well described. METHODS: A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients who underwent a knee or hip replacement from 2012 to 2015. Patients who received heparin were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 56 patients were analyzed on post-operative days 0 to 4. By day 1, 90.9% of the patients experienced a reduction in their platelet counts. The lowest mean platelet count (nadir) occurred on day 2 (201.3 × 109/L). The average decrease in the platelet count from the baseline was 24% (95%CI: 20.6 - 27.2). The change in the platelet count from the baseline ranged from a 49.6% drop to a 14.2% increase. A substantial portion of patients experienced thrombocytopenia, with 28% occurring on day 2. Platelet counts less than 100 × 109/L occurred only once. The percent decrease in the platelet count from the baseline to any other time point was significantly larger in patients aged > 65 years, compared to patients aged ≤ 65 years (p = 0.007). Specifically, the average drop in the platelet count at the nadir (day 2) relative to the baseline was 27.8% in patients aged > 65 years, compared to 19.5% in patients aged ≤ 65 years. CONCLUSIONS: A reduction in the platelet count is a frequent post-operative finding in orthopedic surgery patients, even after removing confounding factors, such as heparin exposure, but clinical thrombocytopenia is uncommon. Alternative etiologies should be considered when the platelet count is less than 100 × 109/L. Vigilance should also be considered regarding elderly patients.
RESUMO
Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a very infrequent complication after arthroscopic procedures. The incidence of PE after anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL) has not been reported. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 980 medical records of patients that underwent ACL reconstruction at our institution in a four years period, regardless of the type of reconstruction technique used, trying to find embolic complications. Results: We found 2 cases of PE after ACL reconstruction representing 0.2 percent incidence in our casuistic. None of them presented risk factors or pathological antecedents before the surgical procedure. The clinical presentation for both cases was pleuritic chest pain after the first week post op. Conclusion: The diagnosis of PE must be suspected in young and healthy patients, independent of absence of risk factors, if they present unidentified pleuritic chest pain after the first week of ACL reconstruction.
El tromboembolismo pulmonar (TEP) es una complicación poco frecuente en procedimientos artroscópicos. La incidencia de TEP tras la reconstrucción de ligamento cruzado anterior (LCA) no ha sido descrita hasta el momento. Métodos: Analizamos 980 fichas clínicas de pacientes sometidos a reconstrucción de LCA en un período de 4 años independiente de la técnica empleada, registrando complicaciones trombo embólicas. Resultados: Documentamos durante este período dos casos diagnosticados con TEP tras haberse sometido a reconstrucción de LCA, representando el 0,2 por ciento de incidencia en nuestra casuística. Ninguno presentaba factores de riesgo o antecedentes patológicos previos y ambos debutaron después de la primera semana posterior a la reconstrucción con dolor pleural como síntoma común. Conclusión: El diagnóstico de TEP se debe sospechar en sujetos jóvenes, que presenten dolor torácico, independiente de factores de riesgo, posterior a una reconstrucción de LCA.