Statins may lower blood clot risk following joint replacement surgery
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 - 02:32
in Health & Medicine
New, first-of-its-kind research has found that statins, when used in conjunction with conventional blood clot prevention therapies, significantly reduced the risk for venous thromboembolic events following total joint replacement surgery. The number of total hip and total knee replacement surgeries continues to rise each year (more than one million were performed in 2011). And while these procedures are safe and effective, and diminish pain and restore mobility in the vast majority of patients, there is a risk for side effects, including the rare formation of a VTE -- a blood clot located within a deep vein in the thigh or calf following surgery.