[Thrombosis prophylaxis in trauma surgery units in Germany: a survey]

A questionnaire study was conducted to ask trauma surgery centers about thrombosis prophylaxis methods and strategies for the diagnosis and therapy of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT).

Questionnaires were sent by post to German hospitals with trauma surgery units inquiring about the use of unfractionated heparin (UFH) and low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), the duration of medication, and the HIT diagnosis. Questionnaires were evaluated descriptively.

314 of 685 questionnaires sent out were evaluable (46%): half were from general hospitals, 96 (31%) from specialized hospitals, and 53 (17%) from tertiary care hospitals (others: 8). In more than 90%, only LMWH was used. The mean duration of pharmacological thrombosis prophylaxis was 16.6+/-10.4 days (inpatient/outpatient). Only 10% adhered to the recommended platelet count controls every 2 days (days 5-14) for early detection of HIT.

While pharmacological thrombosis prophylaxis following trauma surgery seems to be generally performed according to guidelines, diagnosis and treatment of HIT need to be systematized.