Caron A, Depas N, Chazard E, et al. - Given the reports of highest risk of postoperative pulmonary embolism during the first 5 weeks after surgery and no information regarding the duration of the persistence of this excess risk, researchers sought to assess the duration and the magnitude of this risk among cancer-free middle-aged patients by the type of surgery. Using data from a French national inpatient database, they conducted a case-crossover analysis of 60,703 patients (aged 45 to 64 years) without cancer. Outcomes revealed the extention of the postoperative risk of pulmonary embolism beyond 6 weeks for 6 types of surgery [vascular surgery, gynecological surgery, gastrointestinal surgery, hip or knee replacement, (5) fractures, and other orthopedic operations]. Significantly elevated risk of postoperative pulmonary embolism was continuously observed between 7 and 12 weeks after surgery. Based on the findings, they recommend performing further randomized clinical trials to evaluate if the duration of postoperative prophylactic anticoagulation should be extended and to determine the optimal duration of treatment with regard to both the thrombotic and bleeding risks.