Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in Major Orthopedic Surgery: Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis of 21 Randomized Trials Evaluating Unfractionated Heparins, Low-Molecular Weight Heparins, and New Oral Anticoagulants

Abstract

Background: In major orthopedic surgery, prevention of venous thromboembolism has been based on Unfractionated Heparins (UFHs) over the past decades, then on Low-Molecular Weight Heparins (LMWHs), and on New Oral Anticoagulants (NOACs) more recently. To summarize the comparative effectiveness of UFHs, LMWHs, and NOACs in this clinical indication, we applied Bayesian network meta-analysis to the clinical material (randomized studies) published in two previous reviews focused on this issue.