The Incidence and Characteristics of Venous Thromboembolism in Neurocritical Care Patients: A Prospective Observational Study

Abstract

Risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), including deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), is presumed to be high for neurologic intensive care unit (NICU) patients. However, exact incidences of VTE have yet to be reported. In this prospective observational study, we consecutively enrolled 126 neurocritical care patients who had an NICU stay ≥1 week with paralysis and/or unconsciousness. All patients received DVT prevention strategies. Patients were screened for VTE after 1 week of hospitalization, using venous ultrasonography and computed tomography pulmonary angiography. Following 1 week of NICU hospitalization, DVT incidence was 35.7% and PE incidence was 17.5%. Of the DVTs, 75.6% were in the muscular calf vein. Of the PEs, 22.7% were in main pulmonary arteries, while 77.3% were in branches. Approximately 96% of the DVTs and 86% of the PEs were asymptomatic. Approximately 24% of patients with DVT had a concurrent PE, while 50% of PE patients had a DVT. Paralysis, raised d-dimer on admission, and pulmonary infection were found to be independent risk factors for DVT. Paraplegia, femoral vein thrombosis, and pulmonary infection were found to be independent risk factors for PE. Despite active preventive measures, incidences of VTE in NICU patients were high. Most VTEs were asymptomatic, meaning they could have led to a missed diagnosis. Attention should be paid to the VTE events of critically ill neurological patients.