ABSTRACT
Pulmonary embolus (PE) is an uncommon but important cause of mortality and morbidity after knee and hip surgery. Any pulmonary embolus that produces clinical effects is important, especially since it may be the harbinger of further dangerous or massive embolisation, which may have the potential to kill the patient. Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) clearly precedes pulmonary embolus, and it is mainly from this fact that DVT derives its importance, although post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS) is also a cause for concern. Major bleeding as a result of using potent anticoagulants to prevent PE and DVTs adds further signifi cant risk. It is clearly important to adopt strategies to reduce these risks and this was one of the prime concerns driving the development of the Local Infi ltration Analgesia (LIA) technique. primarily of pulmonary embolus and, by implication, the incidence of DVT.
