ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2014
The Case against Chemoprophylaxis for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and the Rationale for SAFE Anesthesia.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 63 citations in OpenAlex.
- Abdominal Fascial Plication and the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Abdominoplasty Patients: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Annals of plastic surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Multimodal Approach for Lower Leg Liposculpture: A Case Series and Lessons Learned.Aesthetic surgery journal. Open forum · 2026Article
- Decrease Venous Thromboembolism Without Anticoagulation in Plastic Surgery: The Paradigm of Risk Identification, Risk Modification, and Risk Reduction.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2025Article
- Abdominoplasty Under Total Intravenous Anesthesia Significantly Decreases Deep Venous Thrombosis and Pulmonary Embolism Risk.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2025Article
- Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Pathways for Aesthetic Breast Surgery: A Prospective Cohort Study on Patient-Reported Outcomes.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2024Article
- Enhanced Recovery After Aesthetic Breast Surgery Under Sedation, Intercostal Block and Tumescent Anaesthesia: A Prospective Cohort Study of the Early Postoperative Phase.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2023Article
- Reconsidering the value of Caprini scores and venous thromboembolism (VTE) risk mitigation methods in plastic surgery patients.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2023Article
- Are Caprini Scores and Chemoprophylaxis Necessary to Reduce the Risk of Venous Thromboembolism after Abdominoplasty?Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2023Article
- The Majority of Venous Thromboembolism Events Should Occur in Lower Risk Aesthetic Surgery Patients: A Simulation Study.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2022Article
- A New Approach for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Plastic Surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2022Article
- Invited Discussion on: Mechanical Thromboprophylaxis Alone in Body Contouring Surgery for Post Massive Weight Loss Patients: Is This Good Enough?Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2022Article
- Invited Discussion on: Quality of Life and Concurrent Procedures in Truncal Body Contouring Patients: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2021Article
- Ultrasound Surveillance Offers a Safe and Effective Method for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Plastic Surgery Patients.Aesthetic plastic surgery · 2020Article
- Standards and Trends in Lipoabdominoplasty.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2020Review
- Reconsidering the Role of Routine Anticoagulation for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention in Plastic Surgery.Annals of plastic surgery · 2020Article
- Distal Deep Vein Thrombosis Causing Pulmonary Embolism after Outpatient Plastic Surgery: A Case Report.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2020Article
- Near-circumferential Lower Body Lift: A Review of 40 Outpatient Procedures.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2019Article
- The Expanding Role of Diagnostic Ultrasound in Plastic Surgery.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2018Article
- Caprini Scores, Risk Stratification, and Rivaroxaban in Plastic Surgery: Time to Reconsider Our Strategy.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2016Article
- Ultrasound screening for deep venous thrombosis detection: a prospective evaluation of 200 plastic surgery outpatients.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2015Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
1 author at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
summaryThe Venous Thromboembolism Prevention study concludes that anticoagulation is effective in reducing the risk of thromboembolism in patients who are identified as higher risk by Caprini scores. This report critically assesses the statistics used in the Venous Thromboembolism Prevention study, its method of data presentation, and its conclusions. The usefulness of risk stratification and the value of anticoagulation-both prevailing concepts in risk reduction today-are challenged. Actual data show that chemoprophylaxis has no proven benefit in plastic surgery. Complications of anticoagulation predictably include excessive bleeding and hematomas, which may be serious and life-threatening. Several large published series of patients undergoing elective plastic surgery under total intravenous anesthesia have shown a much reduced risk of thromboembolism. A SAFE (Spontaneous breathing, Avoid gas, Face up, Extremities mobile) anesthesia method is discussed as a safer and more effective alternative to traditional general endotracheal anesthesia and anticoagulation. The choice for plastic surgeons is not between a venous thromboembolism and a hematoma. The choice is between a thromboembolism and adjusting our anesthesia and surgery habits to reduce the risk to a baseline level.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.