Venous thromboembolic events in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery

The rate of venous thromboembolic events (VTEs) including deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism among women undergoing gynecologic surgery is high, particularly for women with a gynecologic malignancy. Current guidelines recommend VTE thrombopropylaxis in the immediate postoperative period for patients undergoing open surgery. However, the VTE prophylaxis recommendations for women undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery are not as well established. The risk of VTEs in patients undergoing minimally invasive surgery appears to be low based on retrospective analyses. To date, there are no established guidelines that specifically provide a standard of care for patients undergoing minimally invasive gynecologic surgery for benign or malignant disease.