Almost 4,000 patients having hip or knee replacements were also recruited to the study in New Zealand. The effect among these patients was similar to that seen in patients with hip fracture. These benefits are likely to extend to patients having other types of surgery and to people at risk of pulmonary embolism for other reasons. Worldwide, the figure is more than 10 million. Pulmonary embolism occurs if these clots dislodge then travel to the lungs.
Pulmonary embolism can be fatal.
Deep vein thrombosis can also cause leg swelling and pain in the long term. The PEP trial was funded by the British Heart Foundation, the Health Research Council of New Zealand, the National Heart Foundation of New Zealand, the Wishbone Trust, the Auckland Orthopaedic Society, and the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. Sterling Winthrop donated trial tablets, and the Aspirin Foundation, Bayer AG, Reckitt and Coleman and SmithKline Beecham provided support for some collaborators' meetings. The study was designed, conducted, analysed and interpreted independently of all sponsors. Dr Rodgers phone and FAX numbers above were correct at the time of the press release, but have since changed.