Increased use of prophylactic vena cava filters in trauma patients failed to decrease overall incidence of pulmonary embolism.
BACKGROUND
Recent studies have reported that placement of vena cava filters (VCFs) early after injury may decrease the incidence of pulmonary embolism (PE) in high-risk trauma patients.


METHODS
This was a retrospective review of all trauma patients with placement of VCFs admitted to a single level-1 trauma center between 1989 and 1997. Two cohorts corresponding to years of high or low prophylactic VCF use (PVCF) were compared.


RESULTS
Records were reviewed for 299 trauma patients identified as having had placement of a VCE Two hundred forty-eight filters were placed before the diagnosis of PE. During years of low PVCF use, the overall PE incidence was 0.31%; during years of high PVCF use, the incidence of PE was higher at 0.48% (p = 0.045, chi-square).


CONCLUSIONS
Increased use of PVCFs failed to decrease the overall rate of PE in our trauma patient population.
McMurtry
A L
AL
Section of Trauma/Critical Care, University of California, Davis, Medical Center, Sacramento 95817-2214, USA.
Owings
J T
JT
Anderson
J T
JT
Battistella
F D
FD
Gosselin
R
R
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D016306:Vena Cava Filters; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000150:complications*