The combination of Caprini risk assessment scale and thrombotic biomarkers to evaluate the risk of venous thromboembolism in critically ill patients

To evaluate the correlation between the Caprini risk assessment scale and plasma thrombosis biomarkers and estimate the validity of this method in identifying critically ill patients at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Patients with VTE who were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) department of West China Hospital SiChuan University from October 2016 to October 2017 were enrolled in this case–control study. We retrieved relative clinical data and laboratory test results included in the Caprini risk assessment scale to calculate the Caprini score and compared thrombosis biomarkers between various risk stratifications (low, moderate, high, and highest). A total of 151 critically ill patients were enrolled in our research, including 47 VTE and 94 non-VTE patients. The differences in Caprini score and levels of thrombosis biomarkers between the VTE and control group were significant. Thrombomodulin (TM) was positively correlated with Caprini score (R-value was .451, P < .05). Based on the receiver operating characteristic analysis, TM, tissue plasminogen activator-inhibitor complexes, D-dimer, and fibrinogen degradation products had a certain diagnostic efficiency in distinguishing VTE from others (P < .05). Using the logistic regression model, we identified that 5 risk factors, namely drinking history, major surgery (>3 hours), swollen legs (current), TM, and D-dimer, were independent factors for the occurrence of VTE in critically ill patients admitted in the ICU. Thrombosis markers were positively correlated with Caprini risk stratification. The combination of plasma markers and Caprini risk assessment scale can further increase the predictive value in critically ill patients with VTE.