Surgery is a leading cause of major hemorrhage as well as of thrombosis unless patients are administered appropriate antithrombotic prophylaxis after their thrombo-hemorrhagic risk has been stratified. Therefore, thorough preoperative evaluation is essential to minimize surgical complications. In cases of incoercible bleeding, drugs such as desmopressin, synthetic antifibrinolytics or recombinant factor VII can be administered. To prevent postoperative thrombosis, low molecular weight heparins or pentasaccharide have been shown to significantly reduce the incidence of thromboembolism.