Medical records of 264 intensive care unit trauma patients who received DUS screening for LEDVT were retrospectively examined for the presence of injuries conferring high risk for LEDVT, patient specific DVT risk factors, and low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) prophylaxis.<h4 class=""h4"">Resultsh4>
Forty (15.2 % ) patients had LEDVTs found on DUS screening, 24 (60 % ) were CVDVT, and 30 % of all DVTs were diagnosed within 1 week of admission. Patients without high-risk injuries receiving LMWH had a 13.5 % DVT rate, which did not differ significantly from the 19.7 % DVT rate in high-risk injury patients not receiving LMWH (P = .667).<h4 class=""h4"">Conclusionsh4>
Lower extremity DVT is common in critically ill trauma patients, particularly in the first week following injury, regardless of injury pattern, DVT risk factors, or pharmacologic prophylaxis. Previous studies have underestimated DVT rates by not investigating CVDVTs and not exclusively targeting critically ill patients. We recommend early and continued DUS DVT screening of all critically ill trauma patients.