Venous thromboembolism in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery

Background The purpose of this study was to report the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with head and neck cancer after surgery. Methods This was a single-institution, retrospective cohort: 134 patients underwent resection and simultaneous microvascular reconstruction. The primary endpoint was identification of confirmed or suspicious VTE within 30 days of surgery. Results Two subjects (1.4%) with confirmed VTE (1 pulmonary embolism, 1 deep venous thrombosis) and 6 subjects (4.4%) with suspicious VTE (1 acute respiratory failure, 1 sudden cardiac arrest, and 4 cases of leg edema without imaging) were identified. The strongest predictors of possible VTE were prior VTE (p =.004; odds ratio [OR], 25.11; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.13-556.40), red cell transfusion (p =.009; OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.16-2.80), high body mass index (p =.015, OR, 1.29, 95% CI, 1.05-1.58), and older age (p =.046; OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.00-1.19). Conclusion The incidence of VTE in patients with head and neck cancer after resection and microvascular reconstruction ranged from 1.4% to 5.8%.