British orthopaedic surgeons were surveyed to assess the practice of prophylaxis against thromboembolism in patients undergoing total hip replacements. Of 690 surgeons, 348 (50.4%) do not routinely use pharmacological prophylaxis (190 use no prophylaxis while 158 use a mechanical form of prophylaxis), 289 (41.9%) surgeons use a single pharmacological agent (with or without a mechanical form of prophylaxis), and the remaining 53 (7.7%) use two or more pharmacological agents.