# Venous thromboembolism chemoprophylaxis in geriatric trauma patients with isolated severe traumatic brain injury

## TL;DR

This study finds that low-molecular-weight-heparin reduces mortality in elderly patients with severe traumatic brain injury, without increasing the risk of blood clots.

## Contribution

The study confirms the safety and mortality benefit of LMWH in elderly patients with isolated severe TBI.

## Key findings

- LMWH was associated with a decreased risk of mortality compared to UH.
- LMWH showed a reduced risk of pulmonary embolism in patients with AIS-3 head injuries.
- In a matched cohort, LMWH did not increase VTE risk but still reduced mortality.

## Abstract

Low-molecular-weight-heparin (LMWH) has been shown to be associated with a decreased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and mortality compared to unfractionated heparin (UH) in severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this study was to see if this association persists among a subset of patients, namely elderly patients with isolated TBI.

This Trauma Quality Improvement Project (TQIP) database study included patients ≥ 65 years old with severe TBI (Abbreviated injury score [AIS] ≥ 3) that received either LMWH or UH for VTE prophylaxis. Patients with associated severe injuries (extracranial AIS ≥ 3), transferals, deaths < 72-h, hospitalization < 2 days, VTE chemoprophylaxis other than UH or LMWH, or with a history of bleeding diathesis were excluded. The association between VTE, deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and pulmonary embolism (PE) with VTE chemoprophylaxis was analyzed with multivariable analysis, subset analyses of different grades of AIS-head injury, and a 1:1 matched LWMH:UH cohort of patients.

Out of 14,926 patients, 11,036 (73.9%) received LMWH. Multivariate analysis showed that patients receiving LMWH had a decreased risk of mortality (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.67–0.97, p < 0.001) but a similar risk of VTE (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.63–1.08). Analysis according to head-AIS showed that LMWH was associated with a decreased risk of PE in patients AIS-3 but not in AIS 4 or 5. In a 1:1 matched cohort of LMWH:UH patients, the risk of PE, DVT and VTE were all similar but LMWH continued to be associated with a decreased risk of mortality (OR 0.81, CI 0.67–0.97, p = 0.023).

LMWH was associated with a decreased risk of overall mortality and reduced risk of PE compared to UH among geriatric patients with a severe head injury.