Screening for venous thromboembolism in traumatic brain injury: Limitations of D-dimer assay

2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (2) ◽  
pp. 285-290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay M. Meythaler ◽  
Winfield S. Fisher ◽  
Loring W. Rue ◽  
Alice Johnson ◽  
Linda Davis ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Gopal Krishna ◽  
Varun Aggarwal ◽  
Ishwar Singh

Abstract Introduction Traumatic brain injury (TBI) affects the coagulation pathway in a distinct way than does extracranial trauma. The extent of coagulation abnormalities varies from bleeding diathesis to disseminated thrombosis. Design Prospective study. Methods The study included 50 patients of isolated TBI with cohorts of moderate (MHI) and severe head injury (SHI). Coagulopathy was graded according to the values of parameters in single laboratory. The incidence of coagulopathy according to the severity of TBI and correlation with disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) score, platelets, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), D-dimer, and fibrinogen was observed. The comparison was also made between expired and discharged patients within each group. It also compared coagulation derailments with clinical presentation (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS]) and outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale [GOS]). Results Road traffic accident was the primary (72%) mode of injury. Fifty-two percent had MHI and rest had SHI. Eighty-four percent of cases were managed conservatively. The mean GCS was 12.23 and 5.75 in MHI and SHI, respectively. Sixty-two percent of MHI and 96% of the patients with SHI had coagulation abnormalities. On statistical analysis, DIC score (p < 0.001) strongly correlated with the severity of head injury and GOS. PT and APTT were also significantly associated with the severity of TBI. In patients with moderate TBI, D-dimer and platelet counts showed association with clinical outcome. Fibrinogen levels did not show any statistical significance. The mean platelet counts remained normal in both the groups of TBI. The mean GOS was 1.54 and 4.62 in SHI and MHI, respectively. Conclusion Coagulopathy is common in isolated TBI. The basic laboratory parameters are reliable predictors of coagulation abnormalities in TBI. Coagulopathy is directly associated with the severity of TBI, GCS, and poor outcome.


2016 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-30
Author(s):  
Pradip Prasad Subedi ◽  
Sushil Krishna Shilpakar

Introduction: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common neurosurgical emergency and a common public health problem with high mortality and long term morbidity. The cost incurred by TBI is immense. The major determinant of outcome following TBI is the severity of the primary injury. However, secondary injuries including coagulopathy are treatable prognostic factors. Many studies have revealed that coagulopathy of trauma depicted by increasing level of D-dimer is associated with poor prognosis in TBI. So, early dectection and correction of such abnormality is very important in management of TBI.Methods: This is a prospective observational study conducted at Department of Surgery TUTH (Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital), Kathmandu,Nepal over a period of one year. One hundred and forty eight patients of TBI were included in the study. Clinical profile of the patients and D-dimer level were monitored during the hospital course. D-dimer level was correlated with outcome variables including duration of hospital stay, duration of Intensive care unit (ICU) stay and Glasgow outcome scale (GOS).Results: A total of 194 patients were admitted with the diagnosis of traumatic brain injury during the study period and out of them 148 patients were enrolled for the study. Out of 148 patients one hundred and twenty (81.1%) were males and twenty eight (18.9%) were females. The mean age was 29.71±18.07 and the age ranged from 1 to 78 years. Seventy (47.3%) patient were between 21 to 40 years of age. The mean duration of hospital stay was 9.83±13.58 days and the mean duration of ICU stay was 3.78±7.06 days. Contusion was the most common lesion in our patients. Of the patients studied 111 patients (75%)  had good recovery with GOS of 5, 9  patients (6.1%)  had GOS of 4, 6 patients (4.1%)  had GOS of 3, 1 patients (0.7%)  had GOS of 2 and 21 patients (14.1%)  had GOS of 1. Normal D-dimer was seen in 102 patients (68.9%) and elevated D-dimer in 46 patients (31.1%). Man –Whitney test shows higher D-dimer levels positively correlated with duration of hospital stay, duration of ICU stay and Glasgow Outcome Scale. Pearson chi-square test revealed higher levels of D-dimer correlated with grade of injury but not with mode of injury.Conclusion: D-dimer is elevated in significant proportion of patients with TBI and abnormal D-dimer level is associated with poor outcome in TBI.Journal of Society of Surgeons of Nepal Vol.17(1) 2014: 21-30


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (16) ◽  
pp. 5613
Author(s):  
Ryuta Nakae ◽  
Yu Fujiki ◽  
Yasuhiro Takayama ◽  
Takahiro Kanaya ◽  
Yutaka Igarashi ◽  
...  

Coagulopathy and older age are common and well-recognized risk factors for poorer outcomes in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients; however, the relationships between coagulopathy and age remain unclear. We hypothesized that coagulation/fibrinolytic abnormalities are more pronounced in older patients and may be a factor in poorer outcomes. We retrospectively evaluated severe TBI cases in which fibrinogen and D-dimer were measured on arrival and 3–6 h after injury. Propensity score-matched analyses were performed to adjust baseline characteristics between older patients (the “elderly group,” aged ≥75 y) and younger patients (the “non-elderly group,” aged 16–74 y). A total of 1294 cases (elderly group: 395, non-elderly group: 899) were assessed, and propensity score matching created a matched cohort of 324 pairs. Fibrinogen on admission, the degree of reduction in fibrinogen between admission and 3–6 h post-injury, and D-dimer levels between admission and 3–6 h post-injury were significantly more abnormal in the elderly group than in the non-elderly group. On multivariate logistic regression analysis, independent risk factors for poor prognosis included low fibrinogen and high D-dimer levels on admission. Posttraumatic coagulation and fibrinolytic abnormalities are more severe in older patients, and fibrinogen and D-dimer abnormalities are negative predictive factors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 362-368
Author(s):  
Eric O. Yeates ◽  
Areg Grigorian ◽  
Sebastian D. Schubl ◽  
Catherine M. Kuza ◽  
Victor Joe ◽  
...  

Patients with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Because of concerns of worsening intracranial hemorrhage, clinicians are hesitant to start VTE chemoprophylaxis in this population. We hypothesized that ACS Level I trauma centers would be more aggressive with VTE chemoprophylaxis in adults with severe TBI than Level II centers. We also predicted that Level I centers would have a lower risk of VTE. We queried the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (2010–2016) database for patients with Abbreviated Injury Scale scores of 4 and 5 of the head and compared them based on treating the hospital trauma level. Of 204,895 patients with severe TBI, 143,818 (70.2%) were treated at Level I centers and 61,077 (29.8%) at Level II centers. The Level I cohort had a higher rate of VTE chemoprophylaxis use (43.2% vs 23.3%, P < 0.001) and a shorter median time to chemoprophylaxis (61.9 vs 85.9 hours, P < 0.001). Although Level I trauma centers started VTE chemoprophylaxis more often and earlier than Level II centers, there was no difference in the risk of VTE ( P = 0.414) after controlling for covariates. Future prospective studies are warranted to evaluate the timing, safety, and efficacy of early VTE chemoprophylaxis in severe TBI patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eiichi SUEHIRO ◽  
Yuichi FUJIYAMA ◽  
Miwa KIYOHIRA ◽  
Yukari MOTOKI ◽  
Junzo NOJIMA ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 70 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristin Salottolo ◽  
Patrick Offner ◽  
A. Stewart Levy ◽  
Charles W. Mains ◽  
Denetta S. Slone ◽  
...  

2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 448-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominic A. Harris ◽  
Sandi Lam

Object The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in children with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has not been well characterized given its rarity in the pediatric population. Investigation of risk factors for VTE in this group requires the use of a large sample size. Using nationally representative hospital discharge data for 2009, the authors of this study characterize the incidence and risk factors for VTE in children hospitalized for TBI. Methods The authors conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids' Inpatient Database to examine VTE in TBI-associated hospitalizations for patients 20 years of age or younger during the year 2009. Results There were 58,529 children with TBI-related admissions, including 267 with VTE diagnoses. Venous thromboembolisms occurred in 4.6 per 1000 TBI-associated hospitalizations compared with 1.2 per 1000 pediatric hospitalizations overall. By adjusted logistic regression, patients significantly more likely to be diagnosed with VTE had the following: older age of 15–20 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 3.7, 95% CI 1.8–8.0), venous catheterization (aOR 3.0, 95% CI 2.0–4.6), mechanical ventilation (aOR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2–2.9), tracheostomy (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.3–4.0), nonaccidental trauma (aOR 2.8, 95% CI 1.1–6.9), increased length of stay (aOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.01–1.03), orthopedic surgery (aOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.8–3.4), and cranial surgery (aOR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.8). Conclusions Using the Kids' Inpatient Database, the authors found that risk factors for VTE in the setting of TBI in the pediatric population include older age, venous catheterization, nonaccidental trauma, increased length of hospital stay, orthopedic surgery, and cranial surgery.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document