Venous thromboembolic events: How low can you go?

•Chemical prophylaxis reduces the risk of VTE but does not eliminate it entirely.•The odds of postoperative VTE increased significantly if a patient's prophylaxis was interrupted, but in over 50% of cases the reasons for interrupted prophylaxis were medically justified.•Given that not all VTEs observed in this study were preventable, the prevalence of postoperative VTE may not be a valid quality measure.