It's sooner than you think: Blunt solid organ injury patients are already hypercoagulable upon hospital admission - Results of a bi-institutional, prospective study

Abstract

IntroductionThe optimal time to initiate venous thromboembolism (VTE) chemoprophylaxis in blunt solid organ injury (BSOI) patients is debated. We hypothesize that 1) BSOI patients are hypercoagulable within 12 h of injury and 2) hypercoagulability dominates in patients who develop clot complications (CC). Material and methodsThis is a prospective study of BSOI patients admitted to two Level-1 Trauma Centers’ trauma intensive care units (ICU). Serial kaolin thrombelastography (TEG) and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-challenge TEGs were performed. CC included VTE and cerebrovascular accidents. ResultsOn ICU admission, all patients (n = 95) were hypercoagulable, 58% were in fibrinolysis shutdown, and 50% of patients were tPA-resistant. Twelve patients (13%) developed CC. Compared to those without CC, they demonstrated decreased fibrinolysis at 12 h and higher clot strength at 48 h ConclusionsBSOI patients are universally hypercoagulable upon ICU admission. VTE chemoprophylaxis should be started immediately in BSOI patients with hypercoagulability on TEG.