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After surgery for a total knee replacement, I got a blood clot in the other leg. The doctor wasn’t even checking that side. Is this a common problem?

Blood clots or deep venous thrombosis (DVT) are very common after hip or knee surgery, especially after joint replacements. Finding them isn’t always easy. Ultrasound studies may not show any sign of clotting when in fact there is some. One out of every 20 patients will have a blood clot in the opposite leg.

It’s not standard practice to monitor both legs after surgery. If the patient has risk factors for DVT, then more tests may be done. Preventing DVT is the main goal. Drugs, activity, and leg pumps work well to accomplish this. The treatment affects both legs at the same time.

Reference: 

Richard D. Reitman, MD, et al. A Multimodality Regimen for Deep Venous Thrombosis Prophylaxis in Total Knee Arthroplasty. In The Journal of Arthroplasty. March 2003. Vol. 18. No. 2. Pp. 161-168.


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