Venous Thromboemboli Following Total Joint Arthroplasty: SCIP Measures Move Us Closer to an Agreement

We believe that the recently released Surgical Care Improvement Project (SCIP) measures published on January 1, 2014, have led to less ambiguity on how we need to prophylaxis our patients against venous thromboemboli (VTE) following lower extremity total joint arthroplasty. This is because the SCIP measures are more in concordance with the most recent AAOS and ACCP guidelines, which have also become more aligned. As all joint arthroplasty surgeons are aware, VTE is a major problem, with symptomatic deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary emboli, resulting in marked morbidity and mortality for patients.