Thromboembolic Diseases Among Intensive Care Unit Patients in Al-Qassim Region, Saudi Arabia

Background Venous and arterial thrombotic conditions are the two types of thromboembolic events. Main venous thromboembolism (VTE) includes deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE), while arterial thromboses include ischemic stroke and ischemic heart disease (IHD). Aim This study aimed to assess the prevalence of thromboembolic events among intensive care unit (ICU) patients in Al-Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Patients and methods This is a retrospective chart review of ICU patients diagnosed with thromboembolic disease who were seen at the intensive care unit of King Fahad Specialist Hospital between July 2020 and June 2022. Data were obtained from hospital medical files and gathered into an Excel sheet (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA). All data analyses were carried out using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY, USA). Results Of the 38 patients included, 52.6% were males (mean age: 60.7; standard deviation (SD): 23.9). The most common risk factors for thromboembolic events were immobilization (23.7%) and major surgeries (18.4%). The incidence of DVT was 42.1%, while PE was 39.5%. Seven patients were detected with combined incidence (DVT and PE). Mortality rates accounted for 39.5%. It is interesting to note that the prevalence of patients who use heparin treatment was statistically significantly higher among DVT patients (p=0.043). Conclusion The incidence of deep vein thrombosis was 42.1%, while pulmonary embolism occurred in 39.5%. However, 18.4% of the ICU patients had an occurrence of both DVT and PE. Furthermore, immobilization was identified as the most common risk factor for thromboembolic events, followed by major surgeries. More research is necessary to determine the incidence and prevalence of thromboembolic disease and its manifestations.