Prophylaxis for postoperative deep-vein thrombosis. Synergistic effect of heparin and dihydroergotamine
V. V. Kakkar, J. D. Stamatakis, P. G. Bentley, D. Lawrence, H. A. de Haas and V. P. Ward
Randomized clinical trials in 300 patients undergoing major abdominal
surgery or hip replacement arthroplasty were performed to investigate the
efficacy of dihydroergotamine mesylate, heparin calcium, or a combination
of dihydroergotamine with heparin in preventing postoperative deep-vein
thrombosis (DVT). The diagnosis of DVT was established by an uptake test
using fibrinogen labeled with iodine 125; in patients undergoing hip
replacement, phlebography was also employed to confirm or refute the
presence of isotopic thrombi. The data indicate that the combination of
dihydroergotamine and heparin is more effective than heparin or
dihydroergotamine alone in preventing DVT.
