Muraleedharan, Divya

ObjectiveThe aim was to determine the utilization of Caprini guideline‐indicated venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis and impact on VTE and bleeding outcomes in otolaryngology (ORL) surgery patients.MethodsElective ORL surgeries performed between 2016 and 2021 were retrospectively identified. Logistic regression models were used to examine the association between patient characteristics and receiving appropriate prophylaxis, inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day VTE and bleeding events.ResultsA total of 4955 elective ORL surgeries were analyzed. Thirty percent of the inpatient cohort and 2% of the discharged cohort received appropriate risk‐stratified VTE prophylaxis. In those who did not receive appropriate prophylaxis, overall inpatient VTE was 3.5‐fold higher (0.73% vs. 0.20%, p = 0.015), and all PE occurred in this cohort (0.47% vs. 0.00%, p = 0.005). All 30‐ and 90‐day discharged VTE events occurred in those not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. Inpatient, 30‐ and 90‐day discharged bleeding rates were 2.10%, 0.13%, and 0.33%, respectively. Although inpatient bleeding was significantly higher in those receiving appropriate prophylaxis, all 30‐ and 90‐day post‐discharge bleeding events occurred in patients not receiving appropriate prophylaxis. On regression analysis, Caprini score was significantly positively associated with likelihood of receiving appropriate inpatient prophylaxis (odds ratio [OR] 1.05, confidence interval [CI] 1.03–1.07) but was negatively associated in the discharge cohort (OR 0.43, CI 0.36–0.51). Receipt of appropriate prophylaxis was associated with reduced odds of inpatient VTE (OR 0.24, CI 0.06–0.69), but not with risk of bleeding.ConclusionAlthough Caprini VTE risk‐stratified prophylaxis has a positive impact in reducing inpatient and post‐discharge VTE, it must be balanced against the risk of inpatient postoperative bleeding.Level of Evidence3 Laryngoscope, 134:1169–1182, 2024

Background Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the most common cause of preventable mortality following colorectal surgery (CRS), occurring in about 2% of patients. As a result, prophylaxis including discharge chemoprophylaxis is recommended. While VTE risk assessment tools are available, the consistent adoption and utilization of these tools remains elusive. Our study objectives were to determine the utilization and impact of risk adjusted VTE prophylaxis in CRS patients. Study Design CRS cases performed between 1/1/2016 and 5/31/2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Caprini score and implemented VTE prophylaxis measures were determined. The primary outcome measure was receiving Caprini guideline indicated VTE prophylaxis. Secondary outcomes included VTE and bleeding. Categorical variables were compared by chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests, and continuous variables by Kruskal-Wallis test. Logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of receiving appropriate VTE prophylaxis or experiencing postoperative VTE and bleeding. Results 10,422 CRS cases were analyzed and 90.6% were high risk for VTE. In-hospital appropriate prophylaxis rates in low, moderate, high, and very high-risk category patients were 91.2%, 56.1%, 61.0%, and 63.1%, respectively. Inpatient VTE was reduced by 75% in those receiving appropriate VTE prophylaxis. At discharge, 5.8% of patients received appropriate prophylaxis, in whom there were no VTE events at 30- and 90 days from discharge. Increasing Caprini score positively correlated with VTE risk in both the inpatient and discharge cohorts, but inversely correlated with the likelihood of receiving appropriate prophylaxis at discharge (OR .31, P <.0001). Conclusion Caprini guideline indicated VTE prophylaxis in CRS patients reduced VTE events without increasing bleeding complications.