Abstract

BACKGROUND: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a potentially fatal perioperative complication. The objective of this study was to assess the rate and risk factors for VTE in endoscopic skull base surgery (ESBS).METHODS: This was a retrospective review of adults undergoing ESBS at a tertiary academic center. Incidence of VTE in the 30-day postoperative period was recorded. Logistic regression analyses identified factors associated with VTE.RESULTS: 1122 ESBS cases between 2009 and 2019 were studied. Almost no cases (96.1%) employed perioperative VTE chemoprophylaxis. The overall incidence of VTE was 2.3% (26/1122). Malignant pathologies had a higher rate of VTE compared to nonmalignant pathologies (4.5% vs 2.0%, OR 2.85, 95%CI 1.22-6.66). Factors associated with an increased risk of VTE included a Caprini score greater than 5 (OR 1.53, 95% CI 1.28-1.83); multiple preoperative endocrinopathies such as the syndrome of inappropriate antidiuretic hormone secretion (SIADH) (OR 22.48, 95% CI 3.93-128.70), adrenal insufficiency (OR 5.24, 95% CI 1.82-15.03), hypercortisolism (OR 4.46, 95% CI 1.47-13.56), and hypothyroidism (OR 3.69, 95% CI 1.66-8.20), each 10-hour increment of lumbar drain duration (OR 1.16, 95%CI 1.08-1.25), and each 10-hour increment for duration of hospitalization (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.03-1.06).CONCLUSIONS: The incidence of VTE following ESBS is relatively low. Factors with a higher association with VTE include malignancy, preoperative endocrinopathies, higher Caprini score, prolonged lumbar drain duration, and prolonged hospitalization. Further study is needed to validate these findings and to refine clinical decision making around perioperative VTE prophylaxis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

View details for DOI 10.1002/alr.22943

View details for PubMedID 34894093