Safety and Efficacy of Fondaparinux for Prophylaxis of Venous Thromboembolism after Colorectal Cancer Resection: A Propensity Score Matched Analysis

Background/Aims:The aim of this study was to examine the safety and efficacy of fondaparinux (FPX) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis after colorectal cancer surgery. Methods: Records of 953 patients with colorectal cancer who underwent resection between 2006 and 2013 were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups: the FPX group (n = 362), treated with subcutaneous FPX plus intermittent pneumatic compression (IPC) and the IPC group (n = 591), treated with IPC alone. The incidence of symptomatic VTE, major bleeding, minor bleeding, and other postoperative complications were compared using propensity score matching. Results: Symptomatic VTE occurred only in one patient (0.2%) in the IPC group. In the FPX group, the incidence of major and minor bleeding was 0.55% (2 of 362) and 9.4% (34 of 362), respectively. After propensity score matching, there were no differences between the two groups in the incidence of symptomatic VTE, major bleeding, and other common postoperative complications. Only the incidence of minor bleeding was significantly higher in the FPX group compared to the IPC group. Conclusion: FPX is potentially an effective form of VTE prophylaxis; it is safe in terms of both postoperative bleeding and other common complications after colorectal cancer surgery. (C) 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel