Prophylaxis against thromboembolism in spinal surgery

Postoperative Acute Intracranial Hemorrhage and Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Brain Metastases Receiving Acetylsalicylic Acid Perioperatively

Cranial operations are associated with a high risk of postoperative intracranial hemorrhage (pICH) and venous thromboembolic events, along with increased mortality and morbidity. With the use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for prophylaxis becoming more prevalent, the risk of bleeding when ASA is administered preoperatively is unknown, as are the effects of discontinuation upon the occurrence of thromboembolic events, especially in societies with aging demographics. To address these questions, a retrospective analysis was performed using medical records and radiological images of 1862 patients subjected to brain tumor surgery over a decade in our department. The risk of pICH was compared in patients with metastases receiving ASA treatment versus patients not receiving ASA treatment. The occurrence of venous thromboembolic events after surgery was also evaluated. The study group consisted of 365 patients with different types of brain metastases. In total, 20 patients suffered pICH and 7 of these were associated with clinical neurological deterioration postoperatively. Of the 58 patients who took ASA preoperatively, 2 patients experienced pICH, compared with 5 patients in the non-ASA impact group (p = 0.120). Patients who took ASA were not at significantly higher risk of pICH and therefore a worse outcome compared to the group without ASA. Therefore, these data suggest that in patients at high cardiovascular risk, ASA can be safely continued during elective brain tumor surgery.

A nomogram model to predict the acute venous thromboembolism risk after surgery in patients with glioma

INTRODUCTION

Postoperative venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common complication for glioma patients, with an incidence rate of about 20 %. The purpose of this study was to explore the risk factors of acute VTE after glioma surgery, which may provide an essential reference for clinical guidance on the prevention of acute VTE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 435 patients who underwent glioma surgery from 2012 to 2021 were included in this study. Duplex ultrasonography was performed routinely 3-5 days after the surgery to define VTE. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to explore the independent predictor of acute VTE after glioma surgery and use these selected risk factors to construct and validate a nomogram.

RESULTS

Several risk factors for predicting acute VTE after glioma surgery were identified and used to build the nomogram: age, operation time, systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), hypertension, and diabetes mellitus. The area under the curve of the nomogram was 0.834, indicating good discrimination. Hosmer-Lemeshow of the calibration curve was 3.05 (P = 0.98), showing a high degree of agreement between the prediction and actual outcome. Decision curve analysis indicated that the nomogram model was helpful when the incidence of VTE was 5-80 %.

CONCLUSIONS

A nomogram to predict acute VTE after glioma surgery was constructed and validated. Clinicians can use this predictive model to achieve risk assessment and take different treatment measures to prevent acute postoperative VTE and improve patients' quality of life effectively.

Adult spinal deformity surgery: a systematic review of venous thromboprophylaxis and incidence of venous thromboembolic events

Venous thromboprophylaxis consisting of chemical and/or mechanical prophylaxis is administered to patients undergoing adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery to prevent venous thromboembolic events. However, the true incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) after these surgeries is unknown resulting in weak recommendations and lack of consensus regarding type and timing of prophylaxis in these patients. A systematic literature review was conducted to examine VTE incidence in addition to optimal type and timing of VTE prophylaxis. A detailed search was carried out on Embase, PubMed, and Cochrane Library databases through October 18, 2017, for studies that evaluated venous thromboembolic outcomes, type, and timing of prophylaxis administration among ASD surgery patients who were on VTE prophylaxis. The randomized study was assessed for risk of bias using the Cochrane tool and the observational studies using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale (NOS). The search yielded 1180 studies, and three articles published between 1996 and 2008 met the inclusion criteria. There were 583 surgeries performed on 537 patients with a mean age ranging from 45 to 52 years. Females dominated the study with percentages ranging from 60 to 94% in the different study populations. VTE prophylaxis was initiated before surgery in 87.7% patients and intraoperatively in 12.3% patients. VTE incidence ranged between 0 and 9.1% among the studies. VTE can occur after ASD surgery regardless of the type of prophylaxis, and incidence may be higher when mechanical prophylaxis alone is initiated intraoperatively. Further studies to examine VTE prophylaxis in patients undergoing ASD surgery should be considered.

Clinical analysis of preoperative risk factors for the incidence of deep venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion

Background

The purpose of this study aimed to assess preoperative risk factors for the incidence of deep venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF).

Methods

The diagnosis of preoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT) was confirmed by Doppler ultrasonography. To examine the preoperative risk factors for DVT admitted for PLIF, comparative analysis of the DVT-positive and DVT-negative groups was done.

Results

DVT was detected in 9.4 % (269/2861) patients, including 17 proximal DVT patients (6.3 %) and 252 the distal DVT patients (93.7 %). According to multivariate logistic regression analysis, the age, preoperative D-dimer, and history of rheumatoid arthritis were significant risk factors relative to the onset of DVT after posterior lumbar surgery.

Conclusions

According to the result of our study, age, positive preoperative plasma D-dimer level, and rheumatoid arthritis had the influential impact on the incidence of DVT admitted for PLIF.

Up-to-date thromboprophylaxis in elective spinal surgery. A systematic review

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) present a high incidence after surgery, posing a high risk in surgical practice. Although a consensus does exist on thromboprophylaxis in orthopedic surgery, this topic remains controversial in regard to spinal surgery. In this current paper, we review and discuss the different forms of prophyilaxis presented in literature, in order to develop guidelines on prophylactic measures in spinal surgery, improving patient´s outcomes and reducing any medical/legal problems that could arise from a thrombotic complication.

Venous thromboembolism in neurologic disease

Patients with neurologic disease are at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) because of relative immobility. They are also at increased risk due to the presence of a hypercoagulable state. Patients with spinal cord injuries, brain tumors, and strokes are at particularly high risk and extra vigilance is needed in these patients. Because VTE is very common in hospitalized neurologic and neurosurgical patients, mechanical thromboprophylaxis is indicated in virtually all patients. Pharmacologic prophylaxis with either subcutaneous heparin or low molecular heparinoids should be given to all high-risk neurologic and neurosurgical patients provided there are no major contraindications. The major concern would be a risk of bleeding but in some patients alternate drugs must be considered given the risk of thrombosis (i.e., in the context of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia). The immediate or long-term treatment of full dose anticoagulation for VTE may not be appropriate in all patients as VTE therapy represents a balance between the risks of bleeding related to anticoagulant therapy versus the risk of recurrent events. An inferior vena cava (IVC) filter is another option in these patients but may not necessarily be the best choice for most neurologic patients. Given the high risk of VTE in patients with neurologic diseases, early recognition by clinicians of the signs and symptoms of VTE is essential.