Venous Thromboembolism Incidence, Risk Factors, and Prophylaxis in Burn Patients: A National Trauma Database Study

Area of Science:

• Burn Care
• Vascular Surgery
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a significant concern in burn care, yet comprehensive data on its incidence, risk factors, and prevention are limited.
• Understanding VTE epidemiology in burn patients is crucial for developing effective patient management strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the incidence and risk factors of VTE in a large cohort of burn-injured patients.
• To compare the effectiveness of different VTE chemoprophylaxis strategies.
• To inform national-level prevention strategies in burn care.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of data from the US National Trauma Data Bank (2007-2021) for burn-injured patients.
• Descriptive statistics and multivariate regression to identify VTE risk factors.
• Comparison of VTE rates across different chemoprophylaxis regimens.

Main Results:

• 1.7% (5642/326,614) of burn patients experienced VTE.
• VTE risk was higher in older patients, males, those with higher BMI, and greater % total body surface area burned.
• Smoking, hypertension, myocardial infarction, and substance use disorder were significant VTE predictors.
• Low molecular weight heparin was associated with lower VTE rates compared to heparin (OR: 0.564).
• Delayed VTE chemoprophylaxis (>6 hours) increased VTE risk (OR: 1.04).

Conclusions:

• Identified key demographic and clinical risk factors for VTE in burn patients.
• Low molecular weight heparin demonstrates superior efficacy over heparin for VTE prophylaxis.
• Timely initiation of VTE chemoprophylaxis is critical for reducing VTE events in burn patients.
• Findings can refine risk stratification and guide evidence-based prevention strategies to improve care quality.