Introduction
Venous thromboebolism is a complication whose prevention is paramount in an orthopaedic surgeon's mind. The therapeutic options are rapidly evolving and will be revisited in this month's Themes section. The new oral agents, rivaroxaban and dabigatran will be discussed by Drs. Masri and Abuzgaya respectively. Also, Dr. Geerts will discuss the new ACCP guidelines, while Dr. Waddell will discuss the AAOS guidelines. Drs. Bill Fisher, Rick Buckley and Henry Ahn will cover special issues as they relate to arthroplasty, trauma and spine respectively.