There was insufficient evidence to suggest that one of the three LMWH preparations available in Canada was more efficacious or safer than another for prophylaxis of deep vein thrombosis following total hip or knee arthroplasty.
This study reported a trend for a higher rate of major bleeding with use of LMWH than warfarin.
It was determined that there was insufficient evidence to suggest that there was a difference in the effectiveness of LMWH or warfarin prophylaxis for the prevention of symptomatic venous thromboembolic complications following total hip or knee arthroplasty.
For patients undergoing either total hip or total knee arthroplasty, the base-case analysis suggests that deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis with warfarin is dominant over all LMWH regimens, having a lower expected cost per patient, a lower risk of major bleeds and deaths. In this circumstance it is not necessary to calculate cost-effectiveness ratios because the economic attractiveness of the warfarin option is self-evident.