Venous thromboembolic events in hospitalized trauma patients

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus and is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in injured patients. Absolute risk factors for VTE development are poorly defined. This study aimed to elucidate and evaluate risk factors in a large, population-based trauma registry. The trauma registry for a 10-year period of a single county was examined. VTE risk factors in 10,150 adult patients treated in the county's five trauma centers and seven nontrauma centers were identified. chi(2) and Student's t tests were used for statistical analysis. The incidence of VTE was low at 0.493 per cent. The rate was 0.096 per cent at nontrauma centers. Injury severity score (ISS), operative intervention, spinal cord injury, lower extremity fracture, and certain thoracic injuries were significant in VTE development. There were no differences in VTE rate by age, gender, injury mechanism, or admitting service. Hospital length of stay was doubled by VTE. The VTE rate at trauma centers was higher, which was expected, given the complexity of patients treated and higher ISS. Patients with ISS greater than 15, need for operation, spinal cord injuries, lower extremity fractures, and certain thoracic injuries are at risk for VTE.