Study to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Pradaxar for the Prevention of Venous Thromboembolism in the Mexican Population Undergoing Elective Total Hip or Knee Replacement Surgery

Inclusion criteria: * patients age 18 years or above undergoing elective total hip or knee replacement surgery * Written informed consent obtained for data collection and source data verification. Exclusion criteria: According to the approved label the following patients should not be treated with Pradaxar® 220mg q.d.: * age of \> 75 years * renal impairment (creatinine clearance \<50ml/min) * patients on concomitant therapy with amiodarone or verapamil. * elevated liver enzymes \>2 upper limit of normal (ULN) and / or hepatic impairment or liver disease expected to have any impact on survival * anaesthesia with post-operative indwelling epidural catheters * hypersensitivity to dabigatran etexilate or to any of the excipients * active clinically significant bleeding * organic lesion at risk of bleeding * spontaneous or pharmacological impairment of haemostasis except for the above-included patients groups * concomitant treatment with quinidine