Venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and urological pelvic cancer surgery: a UK national audit

Objectives To evaluate the use of post-discharge venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in UK pelvic cancer centres consistent with national guidelines. Methods Data was collected from healthcare professionals from 64 UK pelvic cancer centres. Results After radical cystectomy (RC), all cancer centres routinely use low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) in the perioperative period. After RC 67% of cancer centres use post-discharge LMWH routinely. After radical prostatectomy (RP), 98% of units use perioperative LMWH VTE prophylaxis routinely. After RP, 61% of hospitals always use post-discharge LMWH. In all, 27% of all UK cancer centres reported deaths or serious VTE complications from urological pelvic cancer surgery in the last 2 years. Conclusions The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) issued explicit guidance of VTE prophylaxis after pelvic and abdominal cancer surgery. Conversion of national guidance into local policy is approximate to 60% for UK pelvic cancer centres. A lack of good quality evidence is cited as a reason for not adhering to NICE guidance.