European perspectives in Thoracic Surgery, the ESTS venous thromboembolism (VTE) working group

Venous thromboembolism (VTE), composed of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and PE is a well-recognized cause for significant perioperative morbidity and mortality. While in orthopedic surgery and general oncology surgery there are well established guidelines regarding VTE prophylaxis, based on carefully conducted high level studies, in thoracic surgery the level of evidence and overall knowledge in the field is still lacking, The European Society of Thoracic Surgeons have established an international working group in 2016, whose task was the define contemporary best practice, coordinate research efforts and eventually define best practice guidelines. This collaboration has matured into a multi-organizational effort, with participation of the American Association for Thoracic Surgery, the International Society on Thrombosis and Haemostasis and Chinese and Japanese thoracic societies. Two major projects (International practice survey and an expert group Delphi process re best practice and VTE risk factors) have been completed so far. For 2018, the working group goals will be to establish VTE prophylaxis guidance in Thoracic Surgery.