
When people undergo surgery for broken arms or legs, they are often injected with prescription blood thinners to reduce their risk of developing potentially life-threatening blood clots in their lungs and legs. But a large, new study suggests it may be time to rethink this practice. It found that aspirin may be as effective as injections of low-molecular-weight heparin when it comes to staving off blood clots and their related complications. “Patients all over North America who come in for surgery for fractures are at risk for blood clots in their legs and lungs, and the standard treatment is injections of low-molecular-weight heparin in the hospital and for weeks after discharge,” said study author Dr. Robert O’Toole, chief of orthopaedics at the University of Maryland Medical Center’s R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. “It’s a shot given twice a day, and patients hate it,” he said. These heparin shots also have a much heftier price tag than aspirin. The study included more than 12,000 patients with arm or leg fractures that required surgery or pelvic fractures regardless of treatment. They were treated at 21 trauma centers. Of these, half received injections of low-molecular-weight heparin twice a day, and half received low-dose baby aspirin twice daily. All participants were followed for 90 days to see how they fared. Outcomes were similar for both groups.… read on > read on >