Pulmonary Embolism After Knee Arthroscopy

Symptomatic deep venous thrombosis (DVT) after knee arthroscopy is a rare occurrence, especially in the ambulatory patient. In this report, we present an unusual case of pulmonary emboli in a young, active patient after arthroscopic treatment of an osteochondral defect via microfracture technique. We also review the current literature and recommendations for prophylaxis against postarthroscopic DVT.

In our review, we found that DVT prophylaxis appears to effectively decrease nonsymptomatic DVT formation after knee arthroscopy. However, the relatively low rate of symptomatic DVT does not yet seem to warrant the associated risks of pharmaceutical prophylaxis. Further trials may provide more insight.