Orthopedic surgeons do not advise routine ultrasound for screening of blood clots after hip replacement surgery. Ultrasound after hip replacement surgery routinely show small blood clots that are insignificant. If you suspect a clot, it is important to get advice from your orthopedic surgeon and get a clinical examination done.
We have found that rehabilitation facilities and primary care providers order ultrasound quite unnecessarily. A small clot is seen on ultrasound and then the patient is rushed to the hospital and given blood thinners for treatment for the clot. This excessive treatment is unnecessary and may actually harm the patient. The harm from potent anticoagulants has been clearly noted in literature.
They can increase the risk of bleeding in the operated joint. They can increase the risk of bleeding elsewhere including the bleeding in the brain. They can be the cause of increase drainage from the wound, which leads to increase possibility of infection in the joint in the future.