VTE rates vary widely across otolaryngology procedure types

A retrospective analysis of 277,187 adult patients undergoing otolaryngology-head and neck surgery procedures between 2015 and 2025, drawn from a 66-million-patient national database, found an overall 90-day postoperative VTE rate of 0.63%. The study reported the highest subspecialty rates in head and neck surgery (1.3%) and laryngology (1.0%), with free tissue transfer (6.1%), lateral skull base surgery (4.4%), cricopharyngeal myotomy (3.1%), and anterior skull base surgery (3.1%) carrying the highest procedure-specific risk; prior VTE was the strongest associated risk factor (OR 12.3).

Most relevant for: Patients undergoing head and neck, laryngology, or skull base otolaryngologic procedures, particularly those with a prior history of VTE.

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