Fewer than one in five joint replacement patients receives anticoagulants after discharge

Fewer than one in five elderly patients received anticoagulants after discharge from hospital after undergoing hip or knee replacement, a study has shown (CMAJ 2008;178:1545-54). Such patients are at high risk of developing venous thromboembolism.

Patients who were prescribed these drugs had a lower risk of short term mortality, but the benefits of and barriers to thromboprophylaxis after discharge in this population need further study, say the researchers.

The authors of a related commentary say that the study highlights the …