Object Patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) are at risk for development of thromboembolic disease. The use of chemoprophylaxis in this patient group has not fully been characterized. The authors hypothesize that early chemoprophylaxis in patients with TBI is safe and efficacious. Methods In May 2009, a protocol was instituted for patients with TBI where chemoprophylaxis for thromboembolic disease (either 30 mg of Lovenox twice daily or 5000 U of heparin 3 times a day) was initiated 24 hours after an intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) was demonstrated as stable on head CT image. Two cohorts were evaluated: Cohort A included patients from May 2008 through April 2009 who had no routine administration of chemoprophylaxis, and Cohort B included patients from May 2009 through May 2010 after the protocol was instituted. The groups were compared, with the major outcomes being deep venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism, and increase in size of ICH. Results Of the 312 patients with TBI who were seen during the study course, 236 patients met criteria for inclusion in the study: 107 patients in Cohort A and 129 patients in Cohort B. The DVT rate was 6 occurrences (5.61%) in Cohort A and 0 occurrences (0%) in Cohort B, which was a statistically significant difference (p = 0.0080). Pulmonary embolism was found in 4 patients (3.74%) in Cohort A and 1 patient (0.78%) in Cohort B, a difference that did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.18). Three instances (2.8%) in Cohort A and 1 instance (0.7%) in Cohort B of increased ICH occurred after starting anticoagulation for chemoprophylaxis; this was not statistically different (p = 0.33). Conclusions Use of chemoprophylaxis in TBI 24 hours after stable head CT is safe and decreases the rate of DVT formation.

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INTRODUCTION: While surgical resection has been shown to improve short-term local disease control, it remains debated whether surgical resection is associated with improved overall survival in patients with malignant primary osseous spinal neoplasms. We reviewed survival data from a US cancer registry spanning 30 years to determine if surgical resection was independently associated with overall survival.METHODS: The SEER registry was queried to identify cases of histologically confirmed primary spinal chordoma, chondrosarcoma, osteosarcoma, or Ewing's sarcoma of the mobile spine and pelvis via ICD-O-2 coding. Patients with systemic metastasis were excluded. Age, sex, race, tumor location, and primary treatments were identified. Extent of local tumor invasion was classified as confined within periosteum vs extension beyond periosteum to surrounding tissues. The association of surgical resection with overall survival was assessed via Cox proportional-hazards regression analysis adjusting for age, radiotherapy, and tumor invasiveness.RESULTS: Eight-hundred, twenty-seven patients were identified with non-metastatic primary osseous spinal neoplasms (215 chordoma, 282 chondrosarcoma, 158 osteosarcoma, 172 Ewing's sarcoma). Overall median survival was histology specific (chordoma: 96 months, Ewing's sarcoma: 90 months, chondrosarcoma: 88 months, osteosarcoma: 18 months). Adjusting for age, radiation therapy, and extent of local tumor invasion in patients with isolated (non-metastatic) spine tumors, surgical resection was independently associated with significantly improved survival for chordoma (Hazard Ratio [95% confidence interval (CI); 0.617 (0.25-0.98)], chondrosarcoma (HR [95%CI]; 0.153 [0.07-0.36]), osteosarcoma (HR [95%CI]; 0.382 [0.21-0.69]), and Ewing's sarcoma (HR [95%CI]; 0.494 [0.26-0.96]).CONCLUSION: In our analysis of a 30-year US population based cancer registry (SEER), patients undergoing surgical resection of primary spinal chordoma, chondrosarcoma, Ewing's sarcoma, or osteosarcoma demonstrated prolonged overall survival independent of patient age, extent of local invasion, or location. Surgical resection may play a role in prolonging survival in the multi-modality treatment of patients with these malignant primary osseous spinal neoplasms.