Abstract

Administration of low doses of heparin before and after surgery can reduce the incidence of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism during, and after, major operations.^{1 2} It is acceptably safe, except in patients with bleeding disorders. Traditional multi-dose ampoules of heparin are both inconvenient for this purpose and wasteful, and this may have hindered the widespread adoption of low-dose heparin prophylaxis. Other prophylactic measures include infusion of dextran-70,³ and rhythmical⁴ or graded static⁵ compression of the calves.