What is a common post-operative complication of orthopedic surgeries?

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a well-recognized complication that can occur following orthopedic surgeries, particularly those involving the lower extremities such as hip and knee surgeries. The risk factors contributing to DVT in this context include immobilization during and after surgery, trauma to blood vessels, and the overall physiological changes that occur post-operatively, which can promote clot formation.

In orthopedic patients, the pooling of blood in the veins of the legs, due to reduced mobility, can lead to the formation of clots. These clots can potentially dislodge and travel to the lungs, resulting in a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Preventive measures such as early mobilization, the use of compression devices, and antithrombotic medications are often implemented in clinical practice to mitigate the risk of DVT in postoperative patients.

While infection, pneumothorax, and fat embolism can occur in orthopedic procedures, they are not as direct a consequence of the immobilization and surgical factors typically present after such surgeries as DVT is. Infection is more general and can arise from multiple types of surgeries, while pneumothorax is more associated with thoracic procedures, and fat embolism, though serious, is less common and usually seen in